Israel reacts with extremism to South African decision on settlement product labeling

Racist! Liable to result in the death of Jews! Reprimand the South African ambassador! Reactions from Israel’s government, coalition and right-wing to the South African decision to ban labeling of products made in West Bank settlements as being made in Israel.

Israel’s government, ruling coalition and right-wing are competing over which can propose the most extreme reaction to South Africa’s decision to ban the marketing of products made in Israeli settlements in the West Bank with the label “Made in Israel”.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced that the South African ambassador in Tel Aviv would be called in for a reprimand today, adding that “this is not political opposition to settlements but negatively tagging a state through a special marking, according to national-political criteria. Accordingly, this is a racist measure”.

Knesset Member Arieh Eldad of the far-right Yechud Leumi goes further, calling on the government to mark all products imported from South Africa with a prominent label of “Warning! Product of South Africa. The history determines: anti-Semitism is liable to result in the death of Jews!”

The government directive concerning the labeling of settlement products, issued by South Africa’s Department of Trade and Industry, notes that "consumers in South Africa should not be misled into believing that products originating from the (occupied Palestinian territory) are products originating from Israel.

"The government of South Africa recognizes the state of Israel only within the borders demarcated by the United Nations in 1948," not including occupied Palestinian territory, the notice continues.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz quotes an Israeli Foreign Ministry official as saying that “"Pro-Israel groups are organizing in South Africa in order to present objections in an orderly manner to try to cancel the directive or change it", which must be done within sixty days. 

Several Israeli newspaper ran stories about how such a decision would first and foremost harm the 15,000 Palestinians who work in West Bank settlement industrial zones.

An unnamed “factory owner” was quoted in the settler-affiliated news site Arutz 7 as saying that “if as a result of this measure we will be forced to move the factory out of the Judea and Samaria (West Bank – AIC) area and to re-establish it within the Green Line, we can continue to employ all the Israeli workers but from the Palestinian workers we will apparently have to part”.

The Palestinian Popular Struggle Coordination Committee credits its advocacy with supporters in South Africa for the directive. Coordinator Mohammed Khatib said the notice "is an important first step, which, reason suggests, should be followed by a complete ban on the marketing of these products in South Africa, no matter how they are labeled".

Denmark is also planning to ban labeling products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank as "Made in Israel “This is a step that clearly shows consumers that the products are produced under conditions that not only the Danish government, but also European governments, do not approve of,” said Danish Foreign Minister Villy Søvndal Søvndal to Politiken newspaper. “It will then be up to consumers whether they choose to buy the products or not.