clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Israel slams Belgium over settlement products labelling

November 25, 2021 at 2:59 pm

A tourist photographs a sign painted on a wall in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on 5 June 2015, calling to boycott products coming from Israeli settlements [THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images]

Israeli Foreign Ministry yesterday slammed the Belgium government’s decision to label Israeli settlement products.

“The decision to label the products harms Israelis and Palestinians and is out of step with the government of Israel’s policy that is focused on improving the lives of Palestinians and strengthening the Palestinian Authority and with the improvement of Israeli relations with other European countries,” the Ministry said in a statement.

In response, the Israeli Foreign Minister, Iden Roll, yesterday cancelled his planned meetings with Belgian Foreign Ministry officials and parliament.

In 2019, the European Union’s top court ruled that its countries must identify products made in Israeli settlements on their labels.

READ: Can Belgium set a precedent by labelling Israel’s settlement products?