Palestine Solidarity Campaign urges the government to ban settlement goods
Responding to massive pressure for accurate labelling of settlement goods, DEFRA (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) issued guidance today (10 December 2009) on the matter.1
It acknowledges that ‘for produce from the West Bank, labelling currently states country of origin as ‘Produce of the West Bank’.’ The guidance therefore says that ‘Traders and retailers may wish to indicate whether the product originated from an Israeli settlement or from Palestinian producers. This could take the form, for example, of ‘Produce of the West Bank (Israeli settlement produce)’ or ‘Produce of the West Bank (Palestinian produce)’, as appropriate.’
This is an improvement in the current situation, but these goods are grown in settlements, which are illegal under international law. The government should ban the importation of settlement produce. It is unacceptable that goods grown on stolen Palestinian land can then be sold openly in supermarkets across Britain.
We welcome the clarification that traders would ‘almost be certainly committing an offence, if they were to declare produce from the Occupied Palestinian Territory (including from the West Bank) as ‘Produce of Israel’.’ Fresh produce from settlements continues to be mixed with produce from Israel and falsely labelled – the government must take action to prosecute those responsible. Moreover, following the statement from Ahava CEO Yaacov Ellis2 that goods manufactured in the West Bank are exported as Israeli goods, the government must take action.
Sarah Colborne, Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s Director of Campaigns and Operations, said: ‘Goods labelled ‘West Bank’ are grown on stolen Palestinian land, in illegal Israeli settlements. Consumers have bought goods labelled ‘Produce of the West Bank’ because they thought they were aiding the Palestinian economy, then phoned us up distressed and angry when they realised they were economically aiding Israel’s illegal occupation.
‘Particularly following Israel’s massacre in Gaza, consumers have been shocked at Israel’s war crimes and want to take action to end Israel’s continued occupation and violation of Palestinian human rights. They do not want to feel complicit in Israel’s occupation by buying stolen goods. The Trades Union Congress, representing 6.5 million people, voted to boycott settlement goods. We call on the British government to take this further, and end the import of all settlement goods.
‘There must be no profit in occupation. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign calls on all those concerned with peace and justice to boycott all Israeli goods until the Israeli government ends its occupation and complies with international law. The British government must also work to suspend the EU Israel Trade Agreement.’
- http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/food/pdf/labelling-palestine.pdf
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7708244.stm