Israeli officials on Thursday continued to pressure their counterparts in the European Union over a recent decision but the bloc's top court mandating goods produced in Judea and Samaria settlements to be labeled as such, a move Jerusalem has termed discriminatory.
The European Court of Justice ruled Tuesday that EU countries must identify products made in Israeli settlements on their labels, saying that as such goods are not produced in sovereign Israel, rather beyond the Green Line, their labels must provide an "indication of that provenance" so that consumers can make "informed choices" when they shop.
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The ECJ is the highest court of the European Union in matters of Union law. Its rulings are binding and cannot be appealed.
Thursday saw Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein send a strongly-worded letter to European Parliament President David Sassoli condemning the decision as "hypocritical and political."
He further warned that the ECJ's ruling has "a hint of anti-Semitism" saying it also ignores Article 80 of the UN Charter, known unofficially as the "Jewish People's clause," which preserves intact all the rights granted to Jews under the pre-1948 British Mandate for Palestine, the Balfour Declaration and "the Jewish people's historical connection to Judea and Samaria."
Edelstein warned that the court's decision "could undermine the political and economic ties between Israel and the EU and have far-reaching negative consequences for the prospects for peace between Israel and its neighbors in the Middle East."
Moreover, "The ECJ chose to ignore the deep and historical connection between the Jewish people and the entire Land of Israel. It also ignored the fact that Judea and Samaria are not 'occupied territories', as they had never been part of another country – they are under legitimate Israeli control," he wrote.
He also underscored the explicit discrimination between Jews and Arabs stemming from the ruling, writing that the ECJ "has distinguished between Arabs and Jews based on ethnicity by stating that food labels cannot simply specify 'Judea and Samaria' or 'Golan Heights, but must specifically note that goods come from a Jewish community.
"This seeks to predict the outcome of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in clear contrast to the position of the international community that bilateral measures are the only way to settle the conflict."
Edelstein concluded his letter by appealing to Sassoli to ensure that "the European Parliament and the sovereign heads of state in Europe have a say against this unfortunate ruling."
Foreign Ministry officials are working to minimize the damages resulting from the ECJ's decision.
A government official told Israel Hayom that product labeling is not expected to have a significant economic impact, rather a symbolic one.
