Two Israeli MKs in London to convince MPs that EU labelling is ‘antisemitic’

Two Israeli lawmakers were in London this week trying to convince MPs that EU labelling laws for goods from Israeli-occupied territory are “antisemitic”.

Sharren Haskel from the Likud party and Orit Farkash-Hacohen from the Blue and White party said the labelling requirements were part of a “continuous rise of hatred against the Jewish people and the State of Israel within Europe”.

The pair travelled as representatives of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus and met Mark Pritchard, Conservative MP for The Wrekin in Shropshire and chair of the British Parliamentary Israel Allies Caucus.

Last month an Advocate-General to the European Court of Justice said products from lands occupied by Israel since 1967 should be clearly labelled as such, in order to avoid misleading customers.

The judgement followed a request from France’s top tribunal for clarification on rules for the labelling of goods from the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.

Haskel and Farkash-Hacohen said the labelling laws were “old antisemitic agendas disguised in new colours” and linked them to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Pritchard said the meeting was “an opportunity to underline the wrongfulness and sinister nature of the BDS movement as well as garner support to fight it, not only in the UK, but throughout the EU”.