Norway decided on Friday to label products manufactured in the illegal Jewish settlements built on Palestinian land, in a move that sparked the ire of the Israeli government, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
In a statement, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry announced that the “Israel” origin will only be valid for goods that come from territories controlled by Israel before June 4, 1967.
Norway’s decision to label Israeli settlement products is a legal responsibility for all peace-loving nations.
Say it clearly: Colonial Settlements are war crimes! Fulfilling the long overdue rights of the Palestinian people requires concrete actions to end occupation/Apartheid.— Sami Abou Shahadeh (@ShahadehAbou) June 11, 2022
“Food goods from Israeli-occupied areas must be labeled with the area where the product comes from and whether it comes from an Israeli settlement, if that is the case,” the statement read.
This measure will apply to the occupied territories in the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Israel condemns Norway's decision to label settlement products #FMTNews https://t.co/MlS8Hm0aw1
— Free Malaysia Today (@fmtoday) June 12, 2022
Norway said in the statement that the principle behind this decision is that consumers should not be misled by the labeling on the origin of products.
The European Commission, the governing body of the European Union, already decided on this type of labeling in 2015 and recommended it to the members of the Union. The decision was upheld by the EU Court of Justice (CJEU).
There are over 600,000 colonial Israeli settlers living in Jewish-only settlements across the West Bank in violation of international law.
(WAFA, PC, Social Media)
