13 Nov 2019; MEMO: The Israeli government slammed yesterday’s European court ruling on labelling settlement produce as a form of discrimination and vowed to thwart its implementation.
In a much-anticipated decision, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) decided that European Union countries must identify products made in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The legal case was brought by Psagot, a settlement-based winery, and a French Israel advocacy organisation, reportedly in the face of opposition by the Israeli government.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel said it “strongly rejects” the recent court ruling, which it claimed “serves as a tool in the political campaign against Israel”.
“The ruling’s entire objective is to single out and apply a double standard against Israel.”
According to the ministry, “there are over 200 ongoing territorial disputes across the world, yet the ECJ has not rendered a single ruling related to the labelling of products originating from these territories. Today’s ruling is both political and discriminating against Israel.”
The Israeli government further claimed that the ruling “only diminishes the chances of reaching peace and contradicts the positions of the European Union on the conflict.”
“It plays into the hands of the Palestinian Authority, which continues to refuse to engage in direct negotiations with Israel, and emboldens radical anti-Israel groups that advance and call for boycotts against Israel and deny its right to exist,” the ministry added.
“The European Court of Justice’s ruling is unacceptable both morally and in principle,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz.
“I intend to work with European foreign ministers to prevent the implementation of this gravely flawed policy, which contradicts Europe’s position that a resolution to the conflict must be advanced through direct and unconditional negotiations, and not through legal rulings”.
