Brussels, 22/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - The EU has banned imports of poultry and eggs from Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, including the annexed eastern Jerusalem, the Israeli information site Walla reported on Thursday 22 May. The EU notified the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture that it recognises its veterinary controls only within the pre-1967 borders of the State of Israel and that poultry raised in the settlements, therefore, does not comply with the standards required for import, according to the site.
This information has been confirmed by an EU official in Tel Aviv, the agency AFP confirmed on the same day. The decision was taken “in the spirit” of the guidelines which have applied since January banning dealings with businesses or bodies based in the settlements.
The annexation of occupied eastern Jerusalem is not recognised by the international community, which regards the Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal. Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, which resumed in July 2013, closed in April with no results. (EH)