Palestinian official warns of labelling settlement goods as Israeli-made

A Senior Palestinian official warned on Saturday of Israel's fraud regarding settlement goods by using the "made in Israel" label in an attempt to avoid boycott campaigns.

Minister of Economy Abir Odeh called on the EU to be careful of Israel attempts to disguise products made in settlements on Palestinian lands as Israeli goods.

Odeh stressed that efforts continue to boycott "illegal" settlement goods at local and international levels, adding that this issue tops discussion talks with European delegations.

Media reports said that the EU is to issue guidelines in the next few days obliging member states to clearly label products manufactured in Israeli settlements differently from goods made in Israel, as settlements contravene the Fourth Geneva Convention's ban on an occupying power moving its citizens into occupied territory.

Odeh said that the Ministry of Economy has damaged 60- million Israeli shekel (around 15.5 million U.S. dollars) worth of settlement goods over the past five years.

A number of settlement companies were forced to close and move inside Israel to export their goods without problems.

The settlements currently produce around 146 settlement trademarks in different sectors.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a law in 2010 banning Israel's settlement products and services in Palestine and replacing them with Palestinian goods.

The law punishes Palestinian merchants involved in promoting settlement goods with two to five year jail term in addition to a large financial penalty. Endit