Combating Israeli settlements in the supermarkets

 

 

They are illegal, a contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention, "dangerous", "concerning"; they are Israel's illegal settlements, built forcefully on occupied and mostly privately-owned Palestinian land.
 
The Israeli settlement regime has occupied forty per cent and counting of the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Over half a million Israelis now live in approximately 200 Israeli settlements in Palestinians' midst, prospering and ever-growing while Palestinians suffer increasing restrictions to protect these settlements.

 

These restrictions include banning thousands of Palestinian farmers from accessing their farms and lands because of their proximity to the settlements; confiscating lands and property privately owned by Palestinians; banning Palestinians from travelling on what became Israeli-only roads; and according to the UN, the list goes on. 
 
Settlements: Grabbing land, and Palestinian market share
 
Aside from taking Palestinian land, these settlements also house factories and agricultural industries.

 

Their products are ending up on Palestinian shelves and Palestinians are inadvertently contributing to the growth of these industries and the settlements.
 
But the Palestinian government is striking back at these industries, which it says sustain the Israeli settlement enterprise and perpetuate the occupation. 
 
Settlement products sneaking in: 

 

 

I spent three hours in one of Ramallah’s supermarkets trying to figure out which of the hundreds of Israeli products are settlement products.

 

I spoke to some customers, like Khaled, who told me: "You have to really be careful and investigate to know whether a product was produced inside Israel or in a settlement."

 

Others, like Rima, had no idea. She started inspecting the groceries in her basket when I asked her she could have settlement products there.
"I had no idea she said; this is so ironic."

 

The ministry of economy has announced it will aggressively pursue an already existing law that criminalises trading in settlement products.

 

The government has decided to activate an already existing law that criminalizes trading in settlement products, trying offenders in a military court for what the law considers a threat to Palestinian national security.
 
Dr Hasan Abu Libdeh, the minister of national economy told me: "The ministry will have to play the most substantial role in making sure that we do not play a part in the economic sustainability of the settlements. We think the Palestinian market should be clean totally from settlement activity in terms of the economy."

 

Reports suggest that Israeli settlement products enjoy an estimated 15 per cent share of the Palestinian market. Palestinians now say this is unacceptable and must change.

 

The Palestinian government says it has no plans to ban products produced inside Israel proper, even though Israel has made the entry of Palestinian products into the Israeli market extremely difficult.

 

But they believe this undertaking, to actually get rid of settlement products from the shelves, will take time and require awareness among Palestinian consumers.

 

But through this boycott, which is gaining international support especially in Europe, Palestinians say, they are now striking back at the illegal settlements – product by product.

 

Settlement Freeze: Obligation and peace prerequisite
 
Palestinians say settlements constitute the single most important obstacle to peace in the region.

 

They are demanding that Israel comply with its obligations, spelled out in the international roadmap, which include a complete freeze of all settlement activity, including so-called natural growth. In 2003, the Security Council endorsed the roadmap, initially introduced in 2002, in resolution 1515.
 
Palestinians say that without such compliance, engaging in negotiations would simply be useless.

 

This is a conflict over land, Palestinians say, so negotiating on how to end it cannot bear fruit if the land negotiated over is being grabbed in the meantime. 

 

But so far, Palestinians have been disappointed by the lack of international pressure on Israel.

 

Responding to Israel's approval of the construction of 900 new additional houses in the Israeli of settlement of Gilo, the American administration said it was "dismayed" and the European Union said they were "concerned', and urged Israel to refrain from taking such steps.

 

Less than 24 hours after this international expression of "concern", Israel demolished six Palestinian-owned homes and buildings, displacing 55 Palestinians, including 34 children.

 

Meanwhile, an Israeli parliamentarian from the prime minister's Likud Party inaugurated a new settlement in the Middle of a Palestinian neighbourhood.