The EU imposes the label on the products of the colonies, the wrath of Israel

Share

Food products from the territories occupied by Israel must bear an indication of the area of ​​origin, so that consumers can make "informed choices" for their purchases. This was established by the Court of Justice of the European Union in a ruling that aroused the wrath of Israel, with the Foreign Ministry warning: this decision "reduces the chances of reaching a peace agreement". Instead they applaud the Palestinian authorities. The verdict, among other things, arrived on the day that the Israeli defense forces killed a commander of the Palestinian Islamic jihad suspected of planning an imminent terrorist attack against Israel, and Israeli cities were reached by a hail of rockets , in a new escalation of tension that had not been recorded for months.

The EU has always expressed an opinion contrary to the expansion of Israeli settlements, as they undermine the hopes of a two-state solution, a project that is difficult to achieve immediately, as admitted by outgoing High Representative Federica Mogherini in these days, but "not impossible" in a future perspective. And also the European Court of Justice in its decision underlined that the settlements "concretely express a policy of transferring the population of the state outside its territory, in violation of the norms of international humanitarian law".

Human Rights Watch and Oxfam applauded the ruling. "It is an important step in the right direction for the Palestinian people who carry the burden of settlement expansion. Consumers have the right to know the origin of the products they buy and the impact that these purchases have on people's lives", stated the Country Director for the Occupied Palestinian Territories of Oxfam, Shane Stevenson. But in Israel the controversy is multiplying, with accusations of discrimination. "The mandatory labeling policy identifies only Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East - said Eugene Kontorovic, international director of the Kohelet Policy Forum -, while there are no 'made in' labels for the Donbass occupied by Russia or Syria occupied by Turkey. All others are not treated in the same way ".