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Belgian retailers were advised yesterday to clearly label the origin of products made in Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories.
The Economics Ministry said that the recommendation had nothing to do with the escalating conflict in the Gaza Strip.
“It’s a non-binding advice to state on labels that products originate from the occupied territories,” a ministry spokeswoman said.
“EU rules stipulate consumers must be informed of the origin of products.”
The Israeli embassy in Brussels said it would not comment before the recommendation was formally issued.
But Israel has been critical of any move to label produce from Jewish settlements clearly or distinguish them from goods produced by Palestinians. The Tel Aviv government is publicly worried over sanctions campaigns which it admits are hurting the country’s economy.
The labels would mainly apply to produce grown in Jewish settlements in the Jordan valley but could include products such as sparkling water made by SodaStream and cosmetics by Ahava, which both have West Bank facilities.