NGOs want Europe ban on 'illegal' Israeli settlement goods

Warning European shoppers that supermarket shelf grapes and dates tagged "made in Israel" are probably produced in "illegal" settlements, NGOs today demanded an EU-wide ban on imports of settlement goods.

In a report, 22 non-governmental organisations active in the Palestinian territories accused the European Union of propping up Israeli settler policy by doing booming business with settlements even though it views them as "illegal under international law."

The EU currently imports USD 300 million of goods a year from Israeli settlements in the occupied territory -- or 15 times more than from Palestinians themselves -- according to World Bank figures from last month.

With some four million Palestinians and 500,000 Israeli settlers living in the occupied territory, this means the EU imports over 100 times more per settler than per Palestinian, said the report titled "Trading Away Peace: How Europe Helps Sustain Illegal Israeli Settlements."

In the report Hans Van Den Broek, a former EU foreign policy chief and ex Dutch foreign minister, said it was urgent to agree "concrete measures" to contain settlement construction, which he said was the main factor blocking the resumption of the peace process.

"If Europe wants to preserve the two-state solution, it must act without delay and take the lead," he said of the recommendations listed in the 36-page report.

"These measures, directed only at illegal settlemets outside Israel's recognised borders, do not constitute an anti-Israel agenda."

Settlement goods on sale in Europe, many from the potential breadbasket Jordan Valley, include dates, grapes, citrus fruits, herbs, wines, Ahava cosmetics, plastic Keter garden chairs and SodaStream carbonated drink products popular in Sweden.

But apart from Britain and Denmark, which have demanded goods be labelled "West Bank -- Israeli settlement produce" or "Palestinian produce", European consumers are not aware of the origin of goods that are simply tagged "made in Israel".

Some European firms too have invested in settlements and their infrastructure or are providing services: this is the case of G4S (Britain/Denmark), Alstom (France), Veolia (France) and Heidelberg Cement (Germany), the report said.

At the same time, the 27-state EU bloc has become the largest donor to the Palestinians, handing out some five billion euros between 1994 and 2011, including 525 million euros last year alone.