KaDeWe to put Israeli goods back on shelves

KaDeWe, Berlin’s largest department store, which pulled some Israeli goods from its shelves following the publication of a European Union guideline that ruled out “Made in Israel” tags for products made in West Bank Jewish settlements or in the Golan Heights, apologizes for the move and says it will sell restock the goods.

“As of today the 8 Israeli wines will be back in our assortment,” a statement on KaDeWe’s official Facebook page reads.

“In this matter, which was about a European Union recommendation, we acted too quickly and insensitively. We regret that this wrong behavior of the KaDeWe Group led to misunderstandings and would like to apologize for this.”

KaDeWe, established in 1907 by a Jewish businessman, is the largest department store in continental Europe, serving tens of thousands of customers each day. In 1927, KaDeWe was purchased by a Jewish family business enterprise and was later boycotted by the Nazis, who finally seized the store in 1933. The department store reopened after World War II and is currently owned by a Thai company.

The EU rule on the labeling of West Bank and Golan Heights goods has triggered a fierce backlash from the Israeli government as well as opposition leaders. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the 28-nation bloc’s ruling as “hypocritical” and accused the EU of double standards. One of his cabinet members called the rule “disguised anti-Semitism.”