The Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030 has issued an information note for companies that import food from Palestinian territories occupied by Israel into Spain; In it, it reminds them of their duty to indicate this origin clearly on the label. The objective, according to Minister Pablo Bustinduy, is for consumers to have these indications on labeled foods “to guarantee their right to receive truthful information about the origin of the products, especially given the critical situation in the Middle East.” . Although the rule already exists, it is common for products from illegal settlements to be labeled as coming from Israel, without specifying anything else. In May, Bustinduy already sent a letter to several Spanish companies with economic activities in Israel about the risk of involuntarily collaborating with the “genocide” in Palestine, which generated discomfort in the PSOE. The Israeli Embassy in Madrid has declined to evaluate the initiative.
“Given the threat of new Israeli settlements and in the current geopolitical context, we consider it a priority to put an end to this issue that prevents consumers from exercising a right as essential as being able to know all the information necessary to make consumer decisions. that they are conscious and ethical,” say sources from the ministry. And they continue: “The European Union is clear in this sense, and does not recognize Israeli sovereignty in the territories occupied since 1967. Furthermore, the International Court of Justice has declared Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory illegal. Therefore, labeling products from the occupied areas as coming from Israel is not offering truthful information, and, as a flagrant violation of the rights of consumers, it is our mandate to act to put an end to this practice.”
The Bustinduy department has prepared the note based on the Interpretative Note 2015/C 375/05 of the European Commission on the indication of the origin of goods coming from the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967. In addition, it has been based on the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union, of November 12, 2019, in Case C.363/18 Organization juive européenne and Vignoble Psagot, which stipulates that the identification of the country of origin must be carried out in a certain way.
The ruling states: “Since the Golan Heights and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are not part of Israeli territory under international law, the indication “product of Israel” is considered incorrect and misleading in relation to products originating from these territories. . In such cases, the expression ‘Israeli settlement’ or another equivalent must be added in parentheses. Therefore, expressions such as ‘product of the Golan Heights (Israeli settlement)’ or ‘product of the West Bank (Israeli settlement)’ could be used.”
Therefore, from now on, products from Palestine that do not originate in Israeli settlements must bear an indication that is not misleading about the geographical origin and that corresponds to international practice, such as the indications ‘product of the West Bank ( Palestinian product), ‘Gaza product’ or ‘Palestine product’.
Consumption also refers to Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011, of the European Parliament and of the Council, of October 25, 2011, which stipulates that the labeling of a product must be truthful and must not mislead people. consumers, especially with regard to the origin of the products.
Bustinduy’s department also alludes to the ruling issued by the International Court of Justice in July which declared the Israeli occupation of the territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem to be illegal. In this ruling, the highest UN court demanded an end to Israel’s presence in the occupied territories and urged countries to take steps to prevent trade relations that would help Israel maintain that situation in the occupied territories.
Likewise, Consumption refers to the recognition of the State of Palestine that the Government of Spain carried out on May 28 to communicate to economic operators the obligation to comply with Spanish and European regulations, and to assume the legal consequences for the States. , in accordance with International Law, in economic and commercial relations.
Gestures with Palestine
It is not Bustinduy’s first gesture to pressure Israel. In May, the head of Social Rights and Consumer Affairs warned in a letter to several Spanish companies with economic activities in Israel about the risk of involuntarily collaborating with the “genocide” in Palestine. In the letter, he urged these companies to do what is necessary to prevent their businesses from contributing to the “human rights violations” that, they say, Benjamin Netanyahu’s Government is committing in the occupied territories. The socialist part of the Government distanced itself from the initiative and showed its discomfort.
Meanwhile, on October 8 and 9, the minister participated in the OECD Consumer Policy Committee (CCP) in Paris, and decided to leave the meeting whenever a member of the Israeli Government participated. He did so as a sign of protest against the crimes that this government is committing in Palestine and which it has publicly described as genocide on numerous occasions.
Bustinduy left that Tuesday, during the intervention of Yaacov Zrihen, a member of the Israeli Economic and Trade Mission to the OECD. And on Wednesday the 9th he did it again during the intervention of Nir Barkat, Israel’s Minister of Economy.