The campaign to mandate labelling of products originating from the Israeli settlements recently experienced a major success in Europe, after the EU voted to implement a precise labelling policy for all products originating within the disputed territories. Israeli diplomats now fear that a similar campaign could lead the major countries in South America to follow the EU’s lead and necessitate a similar policy.
In the past week, this subject came to the forefront at a joint summit of Arab and South American nations, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Supporters of the campaign to label settlement products sought to establish support for the recent move by the EU and begin discussions of a similar decision in South America. The countries involved however stopped short of issuing statements of support, seeking to study the matter in depth and follow the repercussions first before coming to a decision.
This development is of substantial concern for Israeli exporters, as they have worked extensively in recent years to strengthen their stake in the South American market. In the last decade, exports and partnerships of Israeli companies have risen consistently, and have been forecast to continue doing so, largely on the back of a newly signed free trade agreement with the major countries in the market.
