Holland threatens to fine store selling wine from Hebron, labelled as Israeli

Dutch government inspectors said they would fine a store selling wine from the West Bank city of Hebron that is labeled as made in Israel.

The warning came during a July 10 inspection of the Israel Products centre, an importer and retail outfit run by the pro-Israel group Christians for Israel.

In a statement, the centre said that two agents from the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority did not confiscate any products but warned that the centre could face fines for violating labelling requirements. The centre said it would not comply.

In 2015, the European Commission adopted regulations barring the labelling of products from areas it considers occupied by Israel as made in Israel, a decision it described as driven by a desire to give shoppers accurate information about product provenance.

The regulations are binding, but the European Commission has limited recourse against violators. The Dutch government has so far not fined anyone for labelling violations.

Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs accused the ministry of pursuing a double standard.

“Why inspect Israeli products but none from China, which occupies Tibet, or goods from Morocco, which occupies Western Sahara, or Turkey (northern Cyprus), Russia (Crimea)?” Jacobs said in a statement.