U.K. government urges businesses: Label products from settlements

Interesting development. The U.K Government suggest that companies labe products produced in the West Banks illegal settlements as being from there and not from Israel. The explaination being that this is being done to give the consumer the choice of whether to buy the products knowing where they were truly made.

What do you think? Will this have a snowballing affect? Will business take up this advice?


www.haaretz.com...
www.guardian.co.uk...

[edit on 10-12-2009 by Peruvianmonk]

Should we label everything made in China as "made with love, from our sweatshops to you", "our children's toys are made by/from real children"?
There are SO many more far more egregious horrors perpetrated in the pursuit of cheaper retail items.

Businesses will not want to allow an end-user the freedom of choice, to counter this effect if forced upon those businesses, the prices will increase for name brand goods ("good" settlements), and prices will decrease for no-name goods ("bad" settlements).

If it's sold in Walmart, their customers wont care where it's from.

[edit on 10-12-2009 by Nematode]

reply to post by dashen


We are not talking about China, the post is on Israel and the Settlement issue. What do you think of this development, will it encourage a boycott?

reply to post by Nematode


Your probobley right that the majority of people will not care where their products are from. But the ones who will will now have a chance to make a choice. I personally would think very hard before purchasing anything produced in these Illegal Settlements.

What I'm saying that there are so many gross abuses of humans going on for the sake of profits that goods from the "illegal" settlements should be a non-issue. The US is an illegal settlement, as the land was and is still being stolen from the natives, Europe is an illegal settlement as the land was stolen from the original inhabitants by the Huns, Vandals, Saxons, and Vikings. Where would you draw the line?

As a businesswoman who does a LOT of business in Israel, i havent recieved the memo yet, but when i do, i will give it all of the attention it deserves and throw it in the bin x

reply to post by dashen


I see your point, but i am talking directly about Israeli settlements on Palestinian Lands as directed by the U.N. Yes there are crimes commited by many couuntires all over the world. But the ones in Israel/Palestine cause so much unrest throughout the region where much of the Worlds energy resources come form.

This is the reason it is such a World issue, as well as being the epicentre for religious and racial strife in the World. I think i would boycott any goods produced in the illegal settlements in the West Bank.

At the same time i am not sure i would look to boycott all Israeli goods. I dislike intensly the way the Palestinian and Israeli Arabs are treated, but at the same time would feel uncomfortable with isolating Israel, even though through its actions it isolates itself.

reply to post by Selahobed


This isn't about goods produced in Greater Israel, an internationally recognized nation. But the ones produced in the internationally recognized illegal settlements in the West Bank. Does this change your view at all?

reply to post by Peruvianmonk


I think you would do well to be outraged by the way the PA/Hamas treats its OWN people. They rob nearly all the money granted by the UN and charitable organization, and instead of buying say, food, or humanitarian goods, they buy guns, ammo, and mortars, while their own people are left to stew in their own faeces. Boycott ignorance.

reply to post by dashen


I am aware of Hamas crimes against its own people. But Hamas is not one single homogenous group like most. There are many Moderates trying to change the stance towards the constant battle with Israel and concentrate on its economy. www.guardian.co.uk...

With regard to the West Bank, Hamas is not in control there, Fatah is. So should these products produced in internationally recognized illegal settlements be clearly labeled to give the consumer the choice. This has only be proposed in the U.K.


[edit on 10-12-2009 by Peruvianmonk]

reply to post by Peruvianmonk


My question is why single out Israel among the far far worse offenders of illegal land grabs? e.g. USA, Russia, China, Myanmar(or whatever the hell its called now), or England the Empire building, land grabbing hyppocrate itself?

reply to post by dashen


I am singalling it out becasue it is in the news and happening right now! I think i have previously explained how important the whole region is to the stability of the World, as i am sure you know.

Yes Britain commited many crimes, including the imposistion of the Jewish people in an Arab nation with no consultation during its Mandate. Yes America continues to commit crimes throughout the World and i criticize loudly in other posts. Yes China treats its minorities terribly and occupies Tibet and Nepal.

But this post is about Israeli actions, their crimes, that are there for all the World to see. I am not Jew-bashing, I have Jewish ancestory, which makes my posistion even more passionite. Israel has to stop isolating itself through its actions in the West Bank as it is right now, or the World will eventually isolate it, which worries me greatly.

Although Israel is powerul militarily and economically, it would be in a dangerous posistion without allies. She is Surrounded by enemies. Many of these enemies are ideologues religious/political who wish to see Israel destroyed and many of their own making through their actions. This will happen if it continues to act as it is, outside of the international community.



[edit on 10-12-2009 by Peruvianmonk]

In my experience, Israel doesn't do much without an OK from the US. Also, Israel, like the US and UK breed the very terrorists that they crusade against, some say on purpose, as to have an excuse to push ludicrous amounts of cash into defense spending. Israel truly does not need these settlements, they may be being set up just to provoke more attacks, which will in turn be used to spin its own position, and further their own agendas, with a wink and a nod from the US of course.

reply to post by dashen


I disagree. Israel does alot without the U.S ok, which is why the Obama administration is so angry with them at the moment over the settlement issue. Angry but seemingly unable to do anything about it. Why is that?

Becasue Israel is an independent country which will do as it pleases without due reguard for international law . Obviously many other countries also break international laws such as the U.S and U.K in their rendition programmes and possibly over the Iraq invasion. But to do it so blatently as Israel does is not good for Israel let alone the Palastinians.

Allow me to share an anecdote that my friend related to me. He was a staffer and advisor for Nixon and other presidents. No, I won't give his name as he would strangle me. There was once a vote coming up before the UN reguarding unilateral action by the Israeli govt. Golda Meir was at the reigns at the time I believe. Diplomats for the US related the go ahead, but to save face, the US issued an "official" protest as to Israel's actions. Political theatre is BULL. Governement is BULL. Money is Lord and Master. Figure that out, and everything will begin to make sense.

reply to post by Selahobed


Truth is, in the settlements the Haredi are the ones that occupy the land there.. Unless production is one of wife beaters and wailing wall headbangers, they offer no positive for israel.. They DO breed loads though, and have become powerfull in israel, and will outnumber everyone else in israel soon.... Secular israel will be at the mercy who will not get out of bed to work for their family yet sit on busses soo women like me will sit at the back, for the sake of these workshy assholes...

I don't really know anyone who read the "made in x" label.. as I am sure most will expect the label to say "made in china"..

I'm not sure why Gordo has singled out the Settlements, I expect just to please what's left of his voters rather than noble reasons.

I know we in the UK are no friend of Israel but we are not their enemy either.

Edit to add: I would be interested to know how much produce the UK imports from those settlements each year, and if this is along the lines of the last stance Gordo took of not supplying Israel all they types of weapons they don't really buy from us!


[edit on 14/12/09 by thoughtsfull]

Warning Signs

The British government has issued an official recommendation urging business owners to mark Israeli products produced in West Bank settlements so that consumers who want to boycott such items will find it easy to identify them.

According to the source articles, not labeling the products properly is technically a criminal offense under UK and possibly EU law, so perhaps something like this would fill the bill:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/8dc5ea4b0e60.jpg[/atsimg]

I'm sure business owners will get right on that.