The British government is changing
its guidelines for supermarkets on food labeling so that food from the West
Bank can be identified as Israeli settlement produce or Palestinian. The
Israeli government is angered by the move, since it will make boycotting
products from illegal settlements easier. The British government denies that is
their purpose, rather that they want people to be able to make more informed
choices. The European Union is also looking into changing the labeling of food
coming from the occupied West Bank.
The government will have no power
to enforce the law since it is voluntary, but the British Retail Consortium
promises its chain stores will comply.
People should know if what they buy in a grocery
store is financing the removal and denial of rights to Palestinians. The
Israeli government may once again cry “foul” for countries being
“biased” against Israel for continually breaking international law,
but this is a welcome, if only tiny, step.
