Brussels, 04/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 3 November, Israel's Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Tzipi Hotovely criticised the EU's plan to label products from the Israeli settlements. She believed this “boycott” would complicate peace.
“The labelling keeps peace at a distance”, Hotovely said during a visit to the Barkan industrial area, near the Ariel settlement. “Let's say it clearly, labelling is purely and simply boycotting Israel”, she said, adding that “whoever intends to boycott certain regions of Israel boycotts the State (of Israel) itself and delegitimises it”. Hotovely was due to travel to Spain, Germany and France on Wednesday 4 November to persuade Europeans to climb down on the labelling. “Our (European) friends must fully understand that at a time when terrorism is carried out solely by the Palestinian party, this is not the way to promote co-existence”, she said. In the view of Israel's opposition labour party leader, Isaac Herzog, as quoted by Israeli media, labelling is “a procedure which only strengthens the hatred” and “rewards terrorism”.
According to Israeli leaders, the EU could publish its guidance for labelling products on 11 November, but the European Commission has not confirmed or denied this date. Daniel Rosario, the spokesperson for European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström, said that work was still “ongoing” and that there had “never been a deadline”. The political decision to label the products (and better inform consumers) dates back to 2012.
Products from the settlements represent “less than 1.5%” of EU-imported Israeli products, a European source told French news agency AFP. According to the Israeli Parliament, industrial products from the settlements represent just 0.7% of Israel's industrial exports to the EU, and agricultural products 2.5%. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with EH)