From September 1st the EU will block the entry of all animal products for human consumption coming from illegal Israeli settlements, including eggs, poultry and dairy.
According to Haaretz the Israeli ministry of agriculture has decided to halt its meat exports to Europe and sell them instead in local markets and other places in the world, as a result of the EU’s boycott of Israeli settlements
In 2012, the EU stopped recognizing the area beyond the Green Line as Israeli. Exports from this area did not receive the import duty benefits of Israel’s free-trade agreement with the EU.
On 17 February 2013 the European Commission had decided to follow new regulations that stipulate the non-recognition of Israeli veterinary services when it comes to meat products originating from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights.
The decision is an implementation of the EU’s commitment not to recognise Israeli sovereignty over occupied Palestinian territory.
The EU has rejected Israel’s authority over settlements and refused to list settlement based-entities as Israel, which results in practice in a ban for raw milk and dairy products from settlements
Last week, the Agriculture Ministry’s veterinary services sent a letter to dairies, instructing them to separate raw milk from the settlements from that produced within Israel proper because otherwise, that would have resulted in the de-listing of Israel (i.e a ban of all Israeli milk products)
The EU, in line with its non-recognition duty, cannot recognize Israeli certifications of organic products from settlements as valid. Conformity certifications are a precondition for release into EU markets, in the absence of a recognised certificate, organic produce cannot be imported at all.
The EU should take concrete and effective measures to meet its legal obligations and end its complicity with Israeli violations of international law by banning all trade with illegal Israeli settlements, ensuring European companies stop participating in any Israeli project in the OPT, and imposing arms embargo on Israel. Accordingly the main framework for EU-Israeli economic and military cooperation – the EU-Israel Association Agreement and Horizon 2020 Research Programme must be frozen.
Here you can read an article from the Maariv newspaper translated into English