The South African government decided last week to draw attention of consumers that products they buy labeled “Made in Israel” could have been made in illegal settlements mushrooming the occupied Palestinian territories, a press release issued by the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee said on Saturday. It said that after more than a year of joint work between Palestinian and South African organizations, South Africa’s Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies announced he will forbid false and misleading labeling of settlements products.
He said that the South African government will forbid the misleading labeling of products originating in the Jewish settlements in the occupied territory as if they were produced in Israel. According to Wafa Palestinian new agency “Consumers in South Africa should not be misled into believing that products originating from the occupied Palestinian territory are products originating from Israel,” said a ministry statement. “The burden of proving where the products originate will lie with traders,” a step that will further trample attempts to obscure the origin or connection to settlements of some Israeli products.
A Palestinian activist confronts heavily armed Israeli soldiers in a weekly demonstration against the separation wall in Al-Masara, West Bank, on May 18, 2012 (Photo: Activestills)
According to the statement, the government of South Africa recognizes the State of Israel only within the 1948 borders, which do not include Palestinian territories occupied in 1967.
Mohammed Khatib, a resident of the West Bank village of Bil’in and the coordinator of the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee who was involved in the efforts to promote the notice, said, “The notice is based on the recognition of the injustice done to us Palestinians by the occupation and Israeli settlements. It highlights the fact that the de-facto annexation of our lands as well as the settlements themselves are entirely illegal. 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 had also announced on Friday that all goods produced in the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank should have clear label of origin on them in order to differentiate them from products made in Israel proper. Denmark intended to follow European Union policy of banning settlement products from their markets because they originate from illegal locations.
This is a move that will clearly show consumers that this produce has been produced under conditions that not only the Danish government, but also the European governments have rejected,” Danish Foreign Minister Villy Sovndal was quoted as saying by Danish online news-site Politken.
“Then it is up to consumers whether they are prepared to buy the produce,” he added. The Danish FM said that stricter controls and labeling of settlement produce should be seen as part of the European Union’s support for a two state solution. Enforcing controls on settlement produce also shows the Palestinians that the world is against illegal settlement building. The move targets illegal settlements and not Israel, the Danish FM added. In April, the Co-operative group, one of the United Kingdom’s largest food retailers, decided to boycott four companies that export products from Israeli settlements.
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