EU Supports Labeling of Israeli Goods to Help Palestinians

Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images

EU Supports Labeling of Israeli Goods to Help Palestinians

But will West Bank Palestinians actually benefit from the anticipated boycotts?

European Union Parliament officials have passed a non-binding resolution to label goods produced by Israeli companies in the West Bank. Israel has condemned the resolution, yet the labeling may also affect the Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compared the resolution to previous Nazi discrimination against the Jews. “We remember history, and we remember what happened when the products of Jews were labeled in Europe.” The Israeli Foreign Ministry responded saying, “The process of labeling is discriminatory and reeks of boycott.”

The resolution was passed with a sweeping majority—525 voted for the motion, 70 voted against, and 31 abstained. “Preserving the viability of the two-state solution through concrete action and ensuring full respect for the rights of civilians on both sides must be an immediate priority for the EU and the international community,” the resolution said.

Hopefully for Palestinians working at Israeli companies, this “concrete action” by the EU does not result in boycotts. Approximately 25,000 Palestinians work for Israeli companies within the West Bank. Boycotts in the West Bank would only danger its economy, which already sits at 25 percent unemployment.

Trumpet managing editor Joel Hilliker wrote more than a decade ago about Europe’s rising influence in the Israeli peace process: “What should be obvious to objective observers, and what Trumpet readers must understand, is that Europe is no casual third party trying to find the best solution for both sides of the conflict. And where America has been mostly talk, Europe is sure to be hands on.”

The United States has been mostly talk. President Barack Obama signed a bill in June designed to discourage boycott, divestment and sanctions within “Israel-controlled territories”—yet his administration indicated it would do nothing to protect settlement products from boycotts.

Although it does not seem obvious presently, prophecy tells us Israel will eventually turn toward Europe in its struggles, in spite of the increasing signs of hostility. To find out more, watch the Key of David program “The Profound Secret of Hosea 5:13.”