Labelling of Settlement Goods

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, has adopted guidelines for marking products from settlements in the West Bank and the Golan Heights, for sale within the EU. Under the guidelines, a product’s origin in a settlement should be clearly marked with the words "Product of the West Bank (Israeli settlement)" or "Product of the Golan (Israeli settlement)". Omitting this information would constitute misleading the consumers. The guidelines are binding in regard to fruit and vegetables, wine, honey, olive oil, eggs, poultry, organic products and cosmetics. In addition, the Guidelines document states that the EU does not recognize Israeli sovereignty beyond the 1967 lines, regardless of the status of those territories under Israeli law, and that regulations and legislation in Europe should reflect this position. Enforcement of the guidelines will be entrusted to the authorities in the 28 EU Member States. Nowhere in the European resolutions is the word "boycott" mentioned. No ban of any kind is imposed on the entry of settlement products to the European market, the decision whether or not to buy them is left entirely to the personal discretion of European consumers. Despite this, Israeli government spokesmen have responded defensively - “A reward to terrorism!", "European hypocrisy and hatred for Israel!", "Anti-Semitism!", "Reminiscent of the Nazi Yellow Star!", "We should impose a counter-boycott of European products!".

Defra advice to UK importers and retailers on labelling of agricultural produce from the West Bank was issued in 2009. It may be necessary to revise this advice in the light of the EC Guidelines.

Implementation faces a number of difficulties:

• Ultimately only the Israeli producers can know for certain which items originate in the West Bank and which come from Israel proper. It may be naive to expect them to label settlement goods punctiliously in order to enable Europeans to boycott them more effectively!
• Under the EU-Israel Association Agreement many Israeli products are subject to reduced customs duties when exported to the EU. Settlement goods are excluded from that benefit. UK customs authorities have detected many cases of settlement goods being labelled "Made in Israel" to avoid this penalty. British shopkeepers may have been misled into selling mislabelled settlement products.
• Many Palestinian farmers are known to label their own ripe fruit "Made in Israel" to facilitate its passage through checkpoints and along settler roads. Palestinian manufacturers label their goods similarly in order to sell them in Israel.

Note other difficulties associated with a Quaker boycott of settler goods.