Products from Israeli settlements must be labelled, EU court rules
The European Union’s top court has ruled that EU countries must identify products made in Israeli settlements on their labels, in a decision welcomed by rights groups but likely to spark anger in Israel, The Guardian reported.
The European court of justice said: “Foodstuffs originating in the territories occupied by the state of Israel must bear the indication of their territory of origin.”
The Luxembourg-based court said the labelling of products from Israeli settlements must provide an “indication of that provenance” so consumers could make “informed choices” when they shopped.
The EU has consistently spoken out against Israeli settlement expansion, saying it undermines the hopes for a two-state solution by gobbling up lands claimed by the Palestinians. Israel says the labelling is unfair and discriminatory and that other countries involved in disputes over land are not treated the same way.
The EU wants any produce made in the settlements to be easily identifiable to shoppers and insists they should not carry the generic “Made in Israel” tag.