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Israeli leaders criticise European foreign ministers push for West Bank labelling
16 of the European Union’s (EU) 28 foreign ministers co-signed a letter to EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, urging her to advance the creation of guidelines to separately label goods produced in the West Bank.
Such items are already explicitly labelled as West Bank goods for the benefit of EU customs officials, in order that they do not benefit from the free trade agreement between the EU and Israel. The letter, which was published yesterday by Haaretz, calls on Mogherini to produce EU-wide guidelines for consumer labelling too.
Mogherini’s predecessor Catherine Ashton began the process in 2013, but it was put on hold while Israel and the PA were engaged in a series of peace negotiations, brokered by the United States. The letter calls on Mogherini to restart the work begun by Ashton, to avoid European consumers being “misled by false information.”
Signed by Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond and counterparts including those from France, Italy and Spain, the letter says that labelling guidelines would be “an important step in the full implementation of EU longstanding policy,” which constitutes that settlements in “territories occupied by Israel since 1967, threatens the prospect of a just and final peace agreement.” The foreign ministers claims that distinguishing between West Bank and other Israeli goods means “Green Line Israel and Palestinian producers will benefit from this.”
There has been no response from Israel’s foreign ministry, although Israel Radio reports criticism from diplomats, with one suggesting it was a message to Israel ahead of forming a new government. Yesh Atid leader and Israel’s former Finance Minister Yair Lapid took a more stringent tone in conversation with Mogherini yesterday, calling the initiative “a de-facto call to boycott Israel.” He explained “There is no difference between products which are produced over the Green Line [pre-1967 border] and those that are produced within the Green Line.” Lapid said labelling “could create wreak havoc on the Israeli economy. This kind of call is a stain on the EU.”