Britain seeks block on EU imports from Israeli settlements

[xav]

Britain has asked the European Union to increase efforts to block imports of products from Israeli settlements.


The move is intended to put pressure on Israel to halt the expansion of the settlements through Palestinian land on the West Bank.

A note circulated to the EU has called for more stringent labelling for settlement-produced goods, which often appear in UK shops either designated falsely as being from Israel, or labelled as coming from the West Bank suggesting Palestinian origin.

The note also warns such goods may have been illegally exempted from tariffs, violating the Israel-EU trade agreement.

The move, reported by The Indepedent, is a signal of growing frustration over continued expansion of Jewish settlements on the West Bank despite Israeli promises to halt construction as part of the "road map" to peace with the Palestinians.

Though Israel has taken moves to dismantle wildcat outposts set up by radical settlers, it has permitted what is termed "natural growth" in some settlements as well as new building in Jewish neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim as capital of a future state.

Israel's settlements in the Jordan Valley are major producers of fruit, vegetables, flowers and fresh herbs, while other settlements run wineries and greenhouse operations, and produce plastics and other household goods in light industrial zones. The well-known Ahava cosmetics, made with Dead Sea minerals, are produced in the settlement of Mitzpe Shalem.

"We are aware of it and there is a dialogue between us and the British authorities," said the Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor. "Our position in the past has been that labelling is out of the question and that products could be identified according to the zip code."

The move follows consumer protests in The Netherlands last year which extracted promises from a major importer of organic produce, Udea, to refrain from dealing in settlement-produced items. Earlier this autumn the Dutch company Heineken, which has a partial ownership of Barkan Wineries, moved the last of the winery's operations out of a West Bank industrial zone, under pressure from consumer groups and the Dutch government.

UK supermarkets have acknowledged importing food including organic herbs grown on settlements but say by designating them as from the West Bank they are complying with EU requirements. However Marks and Spencer has stopped stocking goods from the West Bank.

On Sunday the Israeli government said it had decided to end all forms of support for "wildcat" settler outposts on the West Bank, which usually take the form of makeshift caravans camps.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/3371576/Britain-seeks-block-on-EU-imports-from-Israeli-settlements.html

Never saw "Israeli" products really in France except for Avocadoes sometime (and for Intel processors but these are not from the colonies)...

[Mr.Flint]

Bloody leftists fvcks! "Oh noes how can i go and buy those goods made by evil settlers" said another sad british fvck who has his chinese made jeans on his ankles, being buttfvcked by his muslim lover/coworker/ poor opressed minority, who at the climax screams "Death to Zionists!"


For the record, i make a point by buying imported, or ask traveling friends to bring, Israeli products, and advise to do so to all people that i know, especially when one considers the nearly unsurpassed superior quality of those.

[Buffalo_soldier]

It's the best form of pressure. Doing nothing simply condones it.

[markjh]

Those are the same a$$holes who will say "never again" on Nov. 9th....:cantbeli:

[khukuri]

great move, we need more pressure on settlers

[Mr.Flint]

It's the best form of pressure. Doing nothing simply condones it.
Lemme guess, you are one of the supporters of that idiocy.
Its rather funny that on the same breath you demand the exact opposite approach to Iran, and claim that it would curb on their excesses of right violations...

Smell that? thats the smell of hypocrisy


great move, we need more pressure on settlers

Yes, its obvious that settlers are indeed the main obstacle, who cares that the real obstacle to peace, is terrorism, unreasonable demands, and age old bigotry.

[tea drinker]

Bloody leftists fvcks! "Oh noes how can i go and buy those goods made by evil settlers" said another sad british fvck who has his chinese made jeans on his ankles, being buttfvcked by his muslim lover/coworker/ poor opressed minority, who at the climax screams "Death to Zionists!"


For the record, i make a point by buying imported, or ask traveling friends to bring, Israeli products, and advise to do so to all people that i know, especially when one considers the nearly unsurpassed superior quality of those.

Thats the funnist thing I read all day!
But the old settlers - you got to tak it easy! I mean aren't a lot of them not of Israeli origin? How does that help Israeli's ?
What did you do to piss off the Brits?

[LRPV]

great move, we need more pressure on settlers

Agreed, we should speed up the settlement process and force the EU to recognise the original terms of the Mandate...thus Jordan ceases to exist and largely becomes Israel. I'm all for transparency.

[Eoin666]

Bloody leftists fvcks! "Oh noes how can i go and buy those goods made by evil settlers" said another sad british fvck who has his chinese made jeans on his ankles, being buttfvcked by his muslim lover/coworker/ poor opressed minority, who at the climax screams "Death to Zionists!"

It said this started with Dutch protesting last year, but I think you'll find nobody apart from a few gobby basta*ds really gives a f**k about settlers, Israel,.....just the price of oranges.....
But for the sake of argument better hope the EU don't impose import bans on Israeli/settler produce, or you'll end up selling only to the US and Turkey.

[timetraveller]

the residents taking the hardline approach , they felt the Goverment would be with them instead there actions are nowt more than embarrassment to the Goverment . Because the Goverment can't be seen to take sides .. And now you have other countries calling for embargo's ..

But i don't see how callin for an embargo of products by the settlers without it affecting all Israeli products .. It just won't work

The Music Industry would be hit hard heavily .. if all Products were stopped from being shipped abroad .

[LRPV]

I think the embargo would be a 'moral stand' rather than an effective tool. The recent British attempts at banning visiting Israeli academics was more damaging.

NB. Malaysia bans the import of Israeli produce. It used to be possible to buy Israeli oranges... These things should be taken with the proverbial grain of salt.

[Laworkerbee]

Smell that? thats the smell of hypocrisy

Zing!!!!!!!

[Buffalo_soldier]

Lemme guess, you are one of the supporters of that idiocy.
Its rather funny that on the same breath you demand the exact opposite approach to Iran, and claim that it would curb on their excesses of right violations...

Smell that? thats the smell of hypocrisy

There's no hypocrisy because one is illegal, as recognised by international law as well as domestic israeli law.

The other is perfectly legal as layed down in the terms of the NPT, but subject to massive political pressure.

[CMNot]

I think the embargo would be a 'moral stand' rather than an effective tool. The recent British attempts at banning visiting Israeli academics was more damaging.

This was ridiculous. I did not speak to a single academic at my university who either understood or condoned that 'boycott'.

I firmly agree with what Eoin666 said; people in the UK honestly couldn't give a **** about settlers, price of oranges etc. etc., far more concerned (rightly) about the safety of their pensions, the decreasing value of their homes and the increasing cost of simply staying alive. Any inflammatory posters in this thread would do well to remember this.

On an aside moderate Israel has its own developing and possibly harmful problem with ultra-orthodox components of its own nation; it's not exactly all milk and honey there either. Plus market forces, particularly in an economic downturn; will shake this out. If Israel is producing for less, business will go there. Business that has the capability to pressure the EU. Add in that it would only take the French or Germans to say, "Go ****" and this little throwaway slice of spastication would slide off into the annals of stupidity where it belongs.

[RuneX2]

Gaza greenhouse under Israel
http://www.tomgrossmedia.com/img/exodus5.jpg


and the same greenhouse under Palestinian control:
http://www.tomgrossmedia.com/img/exodus25.jpeg


- that was after it had been bought by the Gates foundation and given to them gratis. The good thing the pro-Israel crowd has going for them, is that they don’t have to much about trying to figure out what Palestinian products to boycott.

[oldsoak]

- more storms in a teacup.

[Tyon]

Lemme guess, you are one of the supporters of that idiocy.
Its rather funny that on the same breath you demand the exact opposite approach to Iran, and claim that it would curb on their excesses of right violations...

Smell that? thats the smell of hypocrisy



Yes, its obvious that settlers are indeed the main obstacle, who cares that the real obstacle to peace, is terrorism, unreasonable demands, and age old bigotry.

Israeli Settlers are weird. They are so weird that the normal Israeli thinks that they are weird.

I cant even start to understand them. Building their houses in the middle of the arabs calling to be killed.
Yeah yeah living in Samaria and Judah like the forefathers did but come on. I bet they(the forefathers) wouldn't want to live in little forts and only left these forts with military protection.


Of cource terrorism is bad but as long as there are settlers in the land of the arabs the terrorists can say: There are jeeeeews in our house we have to kill them all because its OUR house.
Those settlements are against the law, its that simple.


These settlements are not good for any kind of treaty. Same goes for the "wall". Come on just build that thing according to the borders and no one can say anything against it. But no the israeli have to build it into the arab lands. If no one wants peace we(NATO, Russia.....) can just build our wall around the whole stupid middle east. After they killed each other we build an Aldi or for the US Americans a Wall Mart on top of this bunch of idiots.

[Pille1234]

What's all the fuss about? Only goods of israeli origin enjoy tariff preferences when imported to the EU and that regulation is in effect for quite some time. Territories outside of Israel were never intended to be part of the tariff protocoll. Of course importers try from time to time to forge the declaration of origin, but that happens with most countries. An absolute non issue.

What does it matter how Palestinians treat their green houses or what people say on November 9th?

[RuneX2]

Israeli Settlers are weird. They are so weird that the normal Israeli thinks that they are weird.

I cant even start to understand them. Building their houses in the middle of the arabs calling to be killed.The vast majority of settlements are just suburbs of Jerusalem. Of the remaining most lies right up to the border. The settlements lying in the middle of a sea of Arabs is a small minority.

[Moledet]

Israeli Settlers are weird. They are so weird that the normal Israeli thinks that they are weird.

I cant even start to understand them. Building their houses in the middle of the arabs calling to be killed.
Yeah yeah living in Samaria and Judah like the forefathers did but come on. I bet they(the forefathers) wouldn't want to live in little forts and only left these forts with military protection.

Why is building your house next to Arabs is calling to be killed? Arabs don't need to fear being killed in Israel.
Anyway, the large settlements are a few kilometers from Arab towns and most people simply call them cities and not settlements and see no problem living there.



Of cource terrorism is bad but as long as there are settlers in the land of the arabs the terrorists can say: There are jeeeeews in our house we have to kill them all because its OUR house.
Those settlements are against the law, its that simple.

You realize that they call Tel Aviv a settlement?



These settlements are not good for any kind of treaty. Same goes for the "wall". Come on just build that thing according to the borders and no one can say anything against it. But no the israeli have to build it into the arab lands. If no one wants peace we(NATO, Russia.....) can just build our wall around the whole stupid middle east. After they killed each other we build an Aldi or for the US Americans a Wall Mart on top of this bunch of idiots.
It's not a flat ground, there are security concerns in building a fence. You can't allow to leave many of the country's citizens outside the fence and you can't let the Palestinians have controlling points. In addition, it's a fence and it can be moved, we moved the fence in Lebanon tens of times so there's no need to get hyped about it.

P.S. I find it quite hypocritical that the EU invites Hamas members to visit while attempts a boycott on settlements.

[tea drinker]

What is the significance on 9 November?
Why are ye all getting excited about my Birthday? :) Is there a surprise planned????

[Ariha]

great move, we need more pressure on settlers

Hope so, then the pressure will be transferred to the weakest link of the chain and the undocumented arab immigrant settlers will find their sorry "popos" in the East Bank.

[Ariha]

What is the significance on 9 November?
Why are ye all getting excited about my Birthday? :) Is there a surprise planned????

The birthday of a Scorpion is always exciting :)

[Eoin666]

What is the significance on 9 November?
Why are ye all getting excited about my Birthday? :) Is there a surprise planned????

Sh*t you've guessed....we're all pitching up at your's for a guiness or 5 and then mine next week :)

I'm guessing he meant Nov 11th...or then again the 9th as it's rememberance Sunday

[Mr.Flint]

There's no hypocrisy because one is illegal, as recognised by international law as well as domestic israeli law.

The other is perfectly legal as layed down in the terms of the NPT, but subject to massive political pressure.
Heh you dont even have the guts to admit that you are an hypocrite.

You have an uncanny ability to tar, ignore, or to invert any fact to suit your own world view.

For the gazillionth time - Iran violated the terms of the NPT when it hid its program, refused full access for inspectors etc. You can dance around it as much as you can but the fact stands - under the NPT they were supposed to work on their program openly, under IAEA supervision, and that never happened.

And for the record, only unauthorized settlements are "illegal".

So our dear IRAN STRONG1!!1! fanboy, if you support blocking imports from Israeli "settlements", you have to support sanctions on Iran, because otherwise you condone Iran's crimes (Or once again you going to cry that Iran committed no crime? Because i dont refer just to the nuclear issue, you know).

[Buffalo_soldier]

No I don't. I've already explained to you that uranium enrichment is perfectly legal under the terms of the NPT. One is a case of clearly being illegal - recognised by both international and Israeli law. The other is a politicised case that goes against the treaty that is signed up to. By all accounts Iran is not in breach of the NPT.

[Laworkerbee]

No I don't. I've already explained to you that uranium enrichment is perfectly legal under the terms of the NPT. One is a case of clearly being illegal - recognised by both international and Israeli law. The other is a politicised case that goes against the treaty that is signed up to. By all accounts Iran is not in breach of the NPT.

Fan boy is an understatement in describing you.

[Tyon]

Why is building your house next to Arabs is calling to be killed? Arabs don't need to fear being killed in Israel.
Anyway, the large settlements are a few kilometers from Arab towns and most people simply call them cities and not settlements and see no problem living there.

Because its their land. Its outside of Israel and therefore the land of the arabs. And normally you ask the people of the land if you can settle there.
Yeah i know God gave the B'nei israel this land but there is no part in the tanach that says: Ah and around 2000 there will be some sons of ismael... kick their asses.



You realize that they call Tel Aviv a settlement?

Well they are stupid but the Westbank is still not part of Israel.




It's not a flat ground, there are security concerns in building a fence. You can't allow to leave many of the country's citizens outside the fence and you can't let the Palestinians have controlling points. In addition, it's a fence and it can be moved, we moved the fence in Lebanon tens of times so there's no need to get hyped about it.

Uhm if the settlers want to live around arabs they have to live with it. That does not legitimate any kind of changing the border or stealing land from the arabs. I cant just drive with a few friends to uhm belgium. Build a few houses and say "here is my land and its part of germany, if you try to arrest me the Bundeswehr will kick your ass". Thats just weird...




P.S. I find it quite hypocritical that the EU invites Hamas members to visit while attempts a boycott on settlements.

Ah no one understands the EU...

[Mr.Flint]

No I don't. I've already explained to you that uranium enrichment is perfectly legal under the terms of the NPT. One is a case of clearly being illegal - recognised by both international and Israeli law. The other is a politicised case that goes against the treaty that is signed up to. By all accounts Iran is not in breach of the NPT.
Hiding the program is a breach of the NPT and that exactly what Iran has done, how long you are going to deny that simple fact?


Once again you ignored facts that dont suit your world view,
thank you for confirming it for us, that you indeed condone Iran's crimes, such as executions of minors, homo******s, dissidents persectuion of religious minorities, violations of freedom of speech and religion, etc.

[LRPV]

[quote=Tyon;3668201]Because its their land. Wrong, firstly under the terms of the post WW1 Mandate Israel received less land than it was accorded. Secondly, as the West Bank was captured in a defensive war Israel has the right to keep it all.Its outside of Israel and therefore the land of the arabs. And normally you ask the people of the land if you can settle there.
Yeah i know God gave the B'nei israel this land but there is no part in the tanach that says: Ah and around 2000 there will be some sons of ismael... kick their asses.




Well they are stupid but the Westbank is still not part of Israel.



Wrong, see above. Do some research.

[gilgoul]

So they want to deprive thousands of palestinians of work, good for them.
I didn't know that the EU prefers to see palestinians jobless or working in the terrible work conditions of their brethern, instead of working for the "zionist enemy" and making a decent salary in advanced working conditions.

As long as the equation "Judea Samaria= occupation" is not debunked, in Israel first, there is no point trying to argue against EU decisions.
We simply need to define our policy IN Israel, decide what we really want as a country, and act accordingly.

[Buffalo_soldier]

Hiding the program is a breach of the NPT and that exactly what Iran has done, how long you are going to deny that simple fact?


There was no breach. If you actually look it up you'd see that they didn't have to disclose natanz until 6 months before material was introduced.
Once again you ignored facts that dont suit your world view,
thank you for confirming it for us, that you indeed condone Iran's crimes, such as executions of minors, homo******s, dissidents persectuion of religious minorities, violations of freedom of speech and religion, etc.

Yes. You're exactly right. For pointing out what is a basic fact i suddenly condone all the crimes of Iran's ruling regime :cantbeli: