Israeli Report Claims Labeling Would Hurt Palestinian Economy
A report initiated by Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin explains why labeling products made in Israeli settlements may harm, first and foremost, the Palestinian economy.
Some 22,500 Palestinians are employed by Israeli settlers in plants and industrial centers in Judea and Samaria, and their combined annual income is estimated at about 1 billion shekels ($277 million).
These data are included in an internal document compiled in April by officials of Israel’s foreign ministry at the request of Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin, who is leading a campaign to stop settlement product labeling in Europe.
The report, obtained by Al-Monitor, is titled The Effect of Settlement Product Labeling on the Palestinian Economy and it was compiled to prove that those who would be most hurt by such labeling would be the Palestinians. According to the report, labeling would significantly increase unemployment in the Palestinian Authority and harm its revenues and economy.
The document, which includes tables and figures, is intended as background material for Israeli officials in their meetings with European and American counterparts, as well as for use in speeches and conferences in Israel and abroad. It was recently distributed to all of Israel’s embassies in Europe with instructions to make extensive use of the data.
