Occupied Palestine – Israeli occupation government condemned on Saturday Norway’s decision to label products made in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying such a move will harm Israeli-Norwegian ties.
In a statement, Israeli occupation Foreign Ministry denounced Norway’s decision, claiming it “will not contribute to the advancement of ties between Israel and the Palestinians and will negatively impact bilateral ties between Israel and Norway, as well as Norway’s relevance to the promotion of relations between Israel and the Palestinians.”
The occupation foreign ministry was referring to Norway’s long-standing role as a mediator between ‘Israel’ and Palestine.
Norway has decided that products made in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Eastern part of Jerusalem and the Golan Heights must be labeled with their place of origin.
In a statement announcing the move on Saturday, the Norwegian foreign ministry noted a 2019 ruling by the European Union’s top court requiring products from these areas to be labeled as originating from an “Israeli settlement.”
“Foodstuffs originating in areas occupied by ‘Israel’ must be marked with the area from which the product comes, and that it comes from an Israeli settlement if that is the case,” the statement noted, “especially wine, olive oil, fruit, vegetables and potatoes.”
Norway’s statement also said the country recognizes ‘Israeli’ territory as that under Israeli control prior to 1967, and considers Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights, Gaza, the West Bank, and eastern part of Jerusalem, as contrary to international law.
“Norway considers the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories to be contrary to international law,” it stated.
The European Union’s top court ruled in 2019 that EU countries must identify products made in Israeli settlements on their labels. Norway is not an EU member, but is part of the European Single Market.
The European Court of Justice said that when products come from an Israeli settlement, their labels must provide an “indication of that provenance” so that consumers can make “informed choices” when they shop.
The European Commission said it was up to individual EU countries to ensure that labels are correct, but that the origin of settlement produce must be made known in a way that is “not misleading to the consumer.”
Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements to be illegitimate and an obstacle to creating a Palestinian state. Over the decades, Israeli occupation government has continued to expand illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in illegal housing units planning. There are over 700,000 Israeli settlers living in 256 illegal settlements and outposts scattered across the occupied West Bank, including Eastern part of Jerusalem.
