European Union Moves to Label Products From Israeli Settlements
Source: New York Times
LONDON — The European Union pushed ahead on Wednesday with rules for labeling consumer goods from Jewish-owned businesses and farms in the land Israel captured during the 1967 war, creating new strains in relations between Europe and Israel.
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European officials played down the move, saying the guidelines merely clarified existing rules, but Israeli leaders condemned it as provocative, discriminatory and intended to fuel a growing international movement to boycott the country.
The issue has been percolating for years, and Israel has lobbied hard against the labeling requirements. The European Union’s decision to go ahead came against the backdrop of several European countries formally or symbolically recognizing a Palestinian state, actions that have prompted deep unease in Israel.
The European Union is Israel’s top trading partner, with total commerce estimated at 30 billion euros, or $32 billion, last year: €13 billion in imports from Israel and €17 billion in exports to Israel. There are no official European statistics on imports of goods from Israeli settlements, but they are believed to represent less than 1 percent of the total trade. And the new guidelines are only mandatory for some goods, mostly fruits and vegetables, so while stinging, they are largely symbolic.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/12/world/middleeast/eu-labels-israeli-settlements.html?_r=0
Israel Suspends Meetings With Eu To Protest Settlement Labeling Move
BRUSSELS - Israel's deputy foreign minister says the government will suspend a series of ongoing meetings with the European Union to protest the EU's decision to begin labeling exports from West Bank settlements.
Tzipi Hotovely said Wednesday that Israel was sending a "very strong message" of displeasure.
"We say you can't be involved in what is going on in the Middle East while you are taking such an extreme step of labeling products... boycotting us," she told Channel 2 TV.
Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nachshon said Israel would suspend a series of regular dialogues on political issues in the Middle East, human rights and international organizations.
He said the suspension would likely be temporary.
http://www.theprovince.com/business/israel+condemns+plan+label+settlement+goods+discriminatory/11508656/story.html
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