That companies that import products from territories occupied by Israel to Spain indicate this on the labeling. This is what the Minister of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda, Pablo Bustinduy, asked the companies concerned, in accordance with what the European Commission decided. Thus, as elDiario.es learned, in an informative note, Bustinduy emphasizes to companies that import products from the territories occupied by Israel, both in Palestine and Lebanon, their obligation “to clearly indicate this origin on the labeling to comply with consumer requirements. right to receive truthful information.
Thus, products imported from territories occupied by Israel “must be labeled as coming from an ‘Israeli colony’ and not as ‘products of Israel,'” says Consumo, which also gives the possibility of using expressions such as ” product of the Golan Heights.” (Israeli colony)” or “product of the West Bank (Israeli colony)”.
Likewise, Bustinduy recalls that “Palestinian products that do not come from Israeli settlements must also present clear indications of their origin as “West Bank product (Palestinian product)”, “Gaza product” or “Palestinian product”. The objective, explained Bustinduy, is that citizens have these indications when purchasing “to guarantee their right to exact information on the origin of products, taking into account in particular the critical situation in the Middle East”.
In this case, in addition, people who prefer to consume Palestinian products or who wish to stop consuming Israeli products will have the opportunity to make decisions in this regard.
In this sense, Minister Bustinduy requested in an interview with elDiario.es “a complete and formal arms embargo against Israel” and “decided on measures of economic and commercial pressure on those responsible for human rights violations in the genocide of Gaza, but also in the illegal occupation of Palestine and the apartheid regime suffered by millions of Palestinians in their homeland.
European regulations
Consumption bases its informative note addressed to entrepreneurs on the European regulation which stipulates that “the labeling of a product must be truthful and must not mislead consumers, particularly with regard to the origin of the products”.
The Ministry of Bustinduy recalls that this is established by Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of the EU, of October 25, 2011, concerning food information provided to consumers.
On the other hand, Consumption refers to the interpretative note of the European Commission on the indication of the origin of goods coming from the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967 (2015/C 375/05), and to the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union, 2019, in case C.363/18 European Jewish Organization and Vignoble Psagot, which stipulates that the identification of the country of origin must be carried out as follows: “ Since the Golan Heights and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are not part of Israeli territory, according to 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 should be added in parentheses. Therefore, expressions such as “product of the Golan Heights (Israeli colony)” or “product of the West Bank (Israeli colony)” could be used.
“Products from Palestine which do not originate in Israeli colonies must bear an indication which is not misleading as to geographical origin and which corresponds to international practice”, continues the CJEU, “such as the indications ‘product from the West Bank ( Palestinian product), “product of Gaza” or “product of Palestine”.
Bustinduy’s department also highlights the ruling of the International Court of Justice last July, which established that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories was illegal. In its decision, the highest court of the UN issued an advisory opinion requested in December 2022 by the United Nations General Assembly on the occupied territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
ICJ President Nawaf Salam read the advisory opinion, in which judges of the UN’s highest court established that Israel’s settlement policy contravenes several international standards, such as the Fourth Geneva Convention, and the practices of Israel in the territories they constitute. de facto the “annexation” of a large part of them.
Salam also claimed that the occupation of the West Bank established “systematic discrimination and segregation, as well as apartheid”, due to Israeli practices of separating Palestinians from Israelis, restricting their movements, expelling them from their lands and confiscate them, and demolish their houses. Furthermore, the court also found that Israel’s exploitation of Palestinian resources and limitation of Palestinian access to its resources contravenes international law and Israel’s obligations as the occupying power. The ICJ found that Israel’s policies and practices violate the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, which includes the disposition of their land and resources.
In this same decision, “the highest court of the UN demanded an end to Israel’s presence in the occupied territories and urged all countries to take measures to prevent commercial relations that would help Israel maintain this situation in the occupied territories”, recalls Consommation.
Likewise, Consumption refers to the recognition of the State of Palestine that the Spanish government 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 States, in accordance with International Law, in economic and commercial relations.
Other measures by Bustinduy on the Israeli genocide in Gaza
A week ago, the Minister of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda left the meeting of the Consumer Policy Committee (CCP) of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) during two interventions by members of the Israeli government to protest against the genocide in Gaza, one of them being the Minister of Economy.
A few weeks ago, during the United Nations General Assembly, several delegations walked out of the plenary session as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke. The Spanish delegation, however, decided to sit and listen to the one who had just given the order to invade southern Lebanon after having caused more than 43,000 deaths in his offensive on Gaza.
Minister Bustinduy took new measures regarding the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Last May, he sent letters to Spanish companies with significant economic activity in Israel urging them to adopt the necessary measures, in accordance with international law and the 2030 Agenda itself. “This is an initiative that seeks to find solutions to put an end to it. genocide in Palestine and is presented as an additional action in the political line of the Spanish government which seeks to recognize the State of Palestine and promote its entry as a full member of the UN”, they explained in Social rights.
The intention of the Minister of Social Rights, his department explained, was to avoid the risk that the economic activities of Spanish companies in the region could contribute to the human rights violations committed by the State of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the Gaza Strip, against the Palestinian population.
Previously, Minister Bustinduy met in his ministry with the Palestinian Ambassador to Spain, Husni Abdel Wahed, to convey to him Palestine’s offer to be the official guest of Spain’s participation in the High-Level Political Forum. level, which was held at the UN headquarters. in New York in July.
