News

The EU court in Luxembourg has ruled that Israel cannot pass off
products made by its settlers on occupied Palestinian land as its own in
order to get customs perks.

The verdict on Thursday (25 February) came in the case of German
soft drinks firm Brita, which buys syrups from Israeli company Soda-Club
in Mishor Adumin in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli customs authorities had put forward documents saying that
the goods were made in Israel and fell under the customs rules of the
EU-Israel Association Agreement.

But the court ruling said Soda-Club should have obtained papers from
the Palestinian Authority instead if it wanted any customs breaks.

“Products obtained in locations which have been placed under Israeli
administration since 1967 do not qualify for the preferential treatment
provided for under that EU-Israel agreement,” the
court explained in a statement, referring to the 1967 Six-Day War.

The ruling sets an EU-wide precedent for Israeli imports to the
union, worth €8.8 billion last year.

It is unlikely to have a big financial impact, however. The European
Commission says that exports from settlements currently account for
just 0.87 percent of the trade volume and are in many cases labeled as
such, meaning they pay full EU customs duties.

But the judgmen... >>>