Greens want ban on incorrect labelling of West Bank products

Alternattiva Demokratika asks for correct labelling of Middle East products.

Denmark wants to introduce a labeling system for all goods imported from West Bank settlements “which are illegal according to international law.”

Matthew Vella

Alternattiva Demokratika is asking the Maltese government to ban the incorrect labelling of products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank as 'Made in Israel'.

Prof. Arnold Cassola, Alternattiva Demokratika spokesperson on EU and International Affairs, said Maltese and EU consumers should be provided with correct information on product labels. "A product produced in a settlement on the West Bank, clearly not recognised as a legal settlement by the international community, should not be described as 'Made in Israel'.

Denmark will begin marking Israeli goods originating in Judea and Samaria with a special label, Danish Foreign Minister Villy Sovndal announced this week.

Soevndal wants to introduce a labeling system for all goods imported from West Bank settlements "which are illegal according to international law."

Sovndal said the measure was part of EU support for the Palestinians and the solution of two states for two peoples. He added that the measure was not a boycott of Israeli goods, but targeted goods originating in illegal settlements in the West Bank. He said that the labelling would be optional for supermarkets, and that it was intended to allow consumers to better differentiate between products produced in Israel, which are subject to preferential customs agreements, and those made in settlements South Africa has also announced that goods produced in Israeli settlements will carry special labels.

"Such misleading information is another reason why the legitimate Israeli and Palestinian authorities should get around the negotiating table to reach a lasting agreement on the concept of 'Two peoples, two states'," Cassola said in a statement - "living peacefully alongside and respecting each other's right to safe borders and peaceful co-existence."