The Norwegian government decided to put a unique stamp on the products of Israeli settlements. The Israeli Foreign Ministry responded in a statement on Saturday that it would provide a unique identity for the “occupied territories”, which would “negatively affect bilateral relations between Israel and Norway.” Norway’s importance in strengthening relations between Israel and the Palestinians.
In doing so, the Israeli Foreign Ministry is referring to the role of mediators in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which Norway has been seeking to play for years, as it did in the negotiations that led to the Oslo Accords in the 1990s.
The Norwegian government announced in a statement on Friday that the “Israel” look was only appropriate for products from areas under Israeli control before June 4, 1967.
“Food coming from Israeli-occupied territories must be labeled where the product comes from and indicate where it came from,” Oslo explained.
The Norwegian government has said the move applies to the “occupied territories” of the Colon Heights and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
It is mainly about imports of wine, olive oil, fruits and vegetables.
In a statement to the Norwegian agency NTP, the Norwegian Foreign Minister confirmed that the move was “not a boycott of Israel by any means” and that the boycott was a “bad policy”.
“Norway has good relations with Israel. This must continue,” said Minister Anneken Hoetfeldt.
The European Commission issued a similar decision in 2015 to establish the distinctive signs recommended by member states, which was later confirmed in 2019 by a judgment of the European Court of Justice.
Oslo noted that the decision by European Justice was based on the requirement that “consumers should not be misled by the absence of labels on the origin of products”.
In the case of the United States, under the administration of former President Donald Trump, it was decided to label the products of Israeli settlements in the West Bank as “of Israeli descent”.
Israeli settlements are illegal under international law and have continued under all Israeli governments since 1967.
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