 |
| Products from illegal Israeli settlements face EU opposition
|
LONDON,
July 6 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – The British Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) ordered an end to
Israeli goods produced in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights
being labeled "Produce of Israel", clearly differentiating,
for the first time, between Israel and the occupied territories, news
agencies reported Saturday, July 6, 2002.
Israeli daily newspaper Ha’aretz reported that a letter sent out
last week by David Holliday, chief horticultural marketing inspector
to "all interested parties," said "advice from the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department of Trade and Industry
is that produce from these occupied territories ought not be labeled
as `Produce of Israel,' because these territories are not recognized
as part of Israel."
As a solution, Holliday's letter said that "it was agreed that in
this particular case, and to give as much information as possible,
these products should be labeled with their region of production,
rather than a country of origin that may be misleading."
The
DEFRA said Friday, July 5, that it told importers last week that
cherry tomatoes, baby potatoes, avocados, fruit juice and flowers
grown in the illegal outposts could no longer be sold under the
"Produce of Israel" label, according to British daily
newspaper The Guardian.
"Produce
from these occupied territories ought not to be labeled 'Produce of
Israel', because the territories are not recognized as part of
Israel," the letter said.
This
is the first time the British government issued instructions that
clearly differentiate between Israel and the occupied territories,
after deflecting pressure from pro-Palestinian organizations and MPs
over the last year.
The letter stunned the Israeli Embassy in London. Diplomatic and
financial sources expressed their disappointment and amazement at the
instructions, calling it the most prominent example of discrimination
against Israel, since, to the best of their knowledge, similar orders
have not been issued concerning products from other disputed areas,
such as Cyprus or Kashmir, reported Ha’aretz.
The
British move is largely symbolic, as the value of exports from the
settlements to the whole of the EU amounts to £13 millions.
However,
the decision dismayed the Israeli authorities, because it comes at a
time of increasing sensitivity about Israel's isolation in the
international community.
For
their part, Israeli peace activists, who have urged their fellow
citizens to boycott settlement produce, welcomed the directive.
"This
is a very important step because this, in fact, is the crux of the
issue," said Adam Keller, of Gush Shalom.
"The
issue is very simple: are these territories inside Israel, or are they
not part of Israel?"
The
European Union (EU) stiffened its rules of origin, which means goods
from the settlements will be subject to customs duty, unlike exportsfrom Israel.
