"Israel" Approves New Outposts , NGO’s to EU: Ban Settlement Products

Local Editor

The so-called "Israel's" Peace Now organization declared on Monday that "Israeli" authorities have approved the construction of 180 new outposts in East al-Quds to include police stations and military headquarters.

The organization's spokesperson Hagit Ofran said that this settlement is located next to a Palestinian residential area of Sour al-Baher.

Meanwhile, a group of aid organizations proposed Tuesday that products from "Israeli" settlements no longer be allowed to bear a "Made in "Israel"" label when they're sold inside the European Union.
The report - produced by 22 aid, development and church groups from nine EU countries - argues that the bloc's policy toward "Israeli" settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories is inconsistent:

On the one hand, the EU's position is that the settlements are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace, while on the other hand EU trade helps sustain them.

The report says the most recent estimate of EU imports from the settlements, provided this year by "Israel" to the World Bank, is $300 million a year - about 15 times the amount of imports from Palestinians.
It is worth mentioning that these values are linked to more than 4 million Palestinians, compared to about 500,000 "Israeli" settlers.
The report urges the European Union to take a number of measures, including, at a minimum, ensuring "correct consumer labeling of all settlement products."

Currently, Britain says that food from the settlements cannot be labeled "produce of "Israel"" but must instead be labeled "produce of the West Bank." In addition, Denmark put in place a similar restriction this year.
The report recommends that such regulations adopted throughout the 27-member European Union, and be broadened to include manufactured goods as well as food.

As a stronger measure, the report suggests that national governments consider banning the import of projects from "Israeli" settlements on the West Bank.
In response, Yigal Palmor, a spokesman for the "Israeli" Foreign Ministry, reacted with withering criticism toward the non-governmental organizations, or NGOs, involved.
"The report contains many inexactitudes and self-contradictions, and its bottom line is not to clarify the situation but to push forward a political case," Palmor claimed.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org