Europe divides over anti-Israeli labelling laws

Will Germany’s Foreign Ministry now call for similar EU labelling of goods originating from other disputed regions around the world?

Surprisingly EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini - following talks with EU foreign ministers on 14 December – chose to refer to two points that were not part of the agenda but were debated among those present:

One is related to the Middle East peace process, especially after the adoption of the technical guidelines on indication of origin. We had an exchange of views in this respect with the ministers, and we commonly decided that it was important also for me to pass this message publicly that the Council and the European Union stay united on these technical guidelines on indication of origin, which is in no way a boycott and should in no way be interpreted as one...

Claiming to be united on these “technical guidelines” – despite their having been already rejected by Hungary and Greece – is surely deceptive and misleading.

Describing the labelling of Jewish products – but not Arab products - as “technical guidelines” - is an insult to everyone’s intelligence. 

They constitute clear “stigmatized warning decals”.

The second thing on which the Council was completely united is our continued engagement in the Middle East peace process and in broader bilateral relations with Israel. There is full unity and solidarity among member states and among European institutions on that.”

Mogherini is seriously mistaken if she thinks Israel will allow a clearly conflicted EU to remain part of the Quartet of Mideast peacemakers which also includes the UN, United States and Russia.

No amount of doublespeak will enable the EU to escape the charges that these labelling requirements:

1. Are racist and discriminate against Jews
2. Trample on Jewish vested legal rights to reconstitute the Jewish National Home in Judea Samaria and East Jerusalem

Double standards and political hypocrisy will eventually bring even the most powerful down to earth.