For some Israelis, EU label on settlement goods is a boon

AFP — The wine, jewelry and chocolate that arrives on Andreas Boldt’s doorstep in rural Germany each month come from places deemed illegal under international law, but he doesn’t care.

“I buy these products to strengthen the communities there,” he said of the $100 (90 euros) box sent directly from Israeli businesses in West Bank settlements.

The European Union on Wednesday announced that goods from settlements — Jewish communities built in areas conquered by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War — must be specifically labeled, infuriating Israel.

The settlements are illegal under international law and considered by some countries as major stumbling blocks to peace efforts, with those in the West Bank and East Jerusalem built on land the Palestinians see as part of their future state.

But while efforts to single out products from such areas have gained steam, others have seen an opportunity.

Right-wing settlers see all of the West Bank, even Palestinian cities, as part of Israel and refer to it as Judea and Samaria, the ancient biblical kingdoms.

Some have already begun defiantly slapping labels of origin on their products — and some Europeans are purposely buying those goods in support.

Many support them for religious reasons — both Christian and Jewish — though that is not always the case. Boldt, for example, is an atheist.

The 36-year-old mechanical engineer visited Israel with friends in 2009 and “soon realized that Israel is the normal democracy,” he said by phone, adding that his skepticism toward Islam is a driving factor in his views.

“We already have 21 Arab states. Is there really a need for another? They won’t have equal rights for women there, for example.”

However, for some already willingly labeling their products, “religion does play a very important part in this,” said Miri Maoz-Ovadia, spokeswoman for the Binyamin Regional Council, which covers over 40 settlements in the West Bank.

“Israel being the Holy Land, the feeling of drinking wine or eating from Judea and Samaria is something that has a very special emotional meaning for these people.”

‘They survived OK!’

The EU ruling affects products imported from settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Golan Heights, all captured by Israel in 1967.

Israel argues that Palestinians will suffer from the move, as some 26,000 are employed in Israeli companies in the West Bank. However, three Palestinians working in a factory in a settlement laughed off the suggestion.

“In my grandfather’s time there were no Jewish settlements, but they survived OK!” one joked.

European Christian Dutch activist Arjanne Kloos smiles during a visit to the Israeli settlement of Esh Kodesh in the West Bank on November 10, 2015. (Menahem Kahana/AFP)

Boldt is one of around 1,000 European “partners” of the Lev Haolam foundation, which sells the boxes they buy to support companies in West Bank settlements.

Another supporter, 31-year-old Dutch woman Arjanne Kloos, initially bought such products and now runs the Netherlands branch of the foundation, which has over 100 members.

She says she is motivated by religious conviction and, referring to Jews, because “this is a people who have been through so much, especially in Europe.”

Lev Haolam founder Nati Rom recently showed a group of 20 Dutch Christian “partners” the land at his home in the outpost of Esh Kodesh, at the end of a path protected by Israeli soldiers.

Nati Rom (C standing) chairman of Lev Haolam foundation and European Christian Dutch activist Arjanne Kloos (R standing) smile during a visit to the Israeli settlement of Esh Kodesh in the West Bank on November 10, 2015. (Menahem Kahana/AFP)

‘A buy-cott’

The European Union is Israel’s largest trading partner, but exports from settlements represent a tiny portion of the total numbers — estimated at two to three percent of Israeli exports to the EU.

Products include wine, dates and vegetables, along with cosmetics from the Dead Sea area.

The Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement has had success internationally in highlighting settlement growth and welcomed the EU decision on labeling, but called for further steps. The Palestine Liberation Organization reacted similarly, calling for a ban on such commerce.

Pro-Israeli campaigners however want to turn labeling into an opportunity.

Claudia Schille, a Lev Haolam foundation “partner” in Norway who sees her support for Israel as a Christian duty, will use it as a chance to seek out settlement products.

“It is not a boycott, it is a buy-cott,” she said.