Belgium announced Wednesday plans to label Israeli products made in Judea and Samaria, citing Brussel's desire "to ensure human rights in the West Bank."
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Already in 2015, the European Union instructed all members states to begin labeling products from Israeli settlements, but very few countries implemented the ruling at the time. Jerusalem expressed concern that the Belgian ruling might set a precedent for other European countries.
According to a report by Walla news, Deputy Foreign Minister Idan Roll, who is currently in Brussels, immediately canceled all scheduled meetings with Belgian lawmakers.
As part of the current Belgian government's coalition agreement, left-wing political parties demanded a government policy mandating the labeling of settlement-made goods. A special office was created which officials from the Foreign, Economy, and Customs ministries to that end. The recommendations they formulated were approved by the government and were presented to the parliament this week.
The government also ruled that any future agreement between Belgium and Israel will include a special clause stating the deal is not valid in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. It also said it would investigate the possibility of boycotting products from Judea and Samaria altogether.
"The Belgian government's decision supports extremism, undermines efforts to promote peace in the region, and does not contribute to stability in the Middle East," Roll said.
The Foreign Ministry condemned the move.
"The decision to label products harms both Israelis and Palestinians and goes against the Israeli government's policy focused on improving the lives of Palestinians and strengthening the Palestinian Authority and with improving Israel's relations with other European countries," it said.
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