Why Does Norway Label Products From Israeli Settlements?
Norway announced last week that the country will mandate place-of-origin labeling on Israeli products as they come from the illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, this move has provoked fury from the Israeli Occupation.
The Israeli Occupation condemned Norway’s decision to label products of the Israeli settlements on Saturday, June 11, 2022.
The Israeli Occupation's foreign ministry said in a statement that the position "will adversely affect bilateral relations between Israel and Norway, as well as Norway's relevance to promoting relations between Israel and the Palestinians,” referring to Norway's persistent role as a mediator during the Israeli Occupation of Palestine.
To Label Products
Norway mandated the labeling of products coming from the illegal Israeli settlements last week, a move that pushed “Israel” to react with fury, saying it risks harming Oslo's role as an important mediator in the region.
The social democrat government of Norway announced its new policy on Friday, June 10, 2022, and said it was not enough to label products coming from the occupied territories.
This decision was mainly about importing wine, olive oil, fruits, and vegetables, and will apply to products from the occupied West Bank “including East Jerusalem,” according to the Times of Malta.
In an interview with Norwegian news agency NTB, Anniken Huitfeldt, the Foreign Minister stressed that this does not represent a boycott of "Israel."
“Norway has good relations with Israel,” adding that these relations “must continue.”
Norway said that the cause behind the government’s decision is that consumers should not be deceived by misleading labeling on the products’ origin.
During the Trump administration, the United States announced that goods made in Israeli settlements in the occupied territories could be labeled Israeli.
The settlements in the occupied territories are still illegal under international law but have continued under successive Israeli governments since 1967.
Builders work on new constructions in a settlement zone on a site where the old central bus station for the Hebron Governorate formerly stood, on 8 May 2022 (AFP)
Norway’s move follows advice from the European Commission in 2015 when the latter called its member states to follow this practice, “a decision confirmed by the European Court of Justice in 2019,” MEE reported.
Israeli Fury
The Norwegian foreign ministry said in a statement that “foodstuffs originating in areas occupied by Israel must be marked with the area from which the product comes, and that it comes from an Israeli settlement if that is the case,” Times of Israel quoted.
The Israeli Occupation’s reaction was not surprising and it heavily criticized the move.
The Israeli foreign ministry said on Saturday it would “adversely affect bilateral relations between Israel and Norway, as well as Norway's relevance to promoting relations between Israel and the Palestinians.”
The ministry was referring to Norway's persistent role as a mediator between Israelis and Palestinians.
In July 2021, “Israel” condemned the UN list, which included companies such as Airbnb, Expedia, and TripAdvisor as Norway's largest pension fund revealed plans to divest its assets from 16 companies linked to Israeli settlements.
Israeli settlers at the illegal outpost of Eviatar look on as Palestinians from Beita village protest against the settlement (AFP)
Formal Active Mediator
Since 1993, Norway's role in the Palestinian cause has evolved from a low-key facilitator to an active mediator.
However, Norway has been gradually abandoning “Israel”. In a report published by MEE last July, the country’s largest pension fund removed companies linked to Israeli settlements from its list.
Norway revealed plans to divest its assets from 16 companies linked to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to the same report.
Telecoms equipment giant Motorola was among the companies listed by KLP managing $95bn worth of assets
“Motorola and other companies risk complicity in international law violations in occupied Palestine," KLP said in a statement.
“Divesting from Motorola Solutions was a very straightforward decision over its surveillance role in the occupied territories.”
The plan came after the UN published a list of more than 100 companies with activities linked to Israeli settlements that are considered illegal under international law, MEE read.
KLP analyst Kiran Aziz stressed that companies had a "responsibility to respect and protect human rights" in the countries they operated in.
He said in a statement that "conflict can mean a particularly high risk of human rights violations.”
“Companies operating in conflict zones must therefore exercise particular caution to avoid involvement in human rights abuses and to protect vulnerable individuals,” he added.
In May 2020, the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund, the largest globally, excluded also some companies that were linked to construction and real estate because of their relations with Israeli settlements.
Following the illegal invasion of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967, more than 700,000 Israelis live in illegal settlements across the occupied Palestinian Territories.
Settlements are viewed as illegitimate as they “contravene the Geneva Conventions, which deem that an occupying power is barred from transferring its population to areas captured in war,” according to MEE.
