Earlier this week, the European Union pushed ahead with a controversial labelling law. Designed to clearly demarcate Israeli-manufactured imports from occupied Palestine, EU leaders hope the labels will discourage Israeli activity in both the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly criticized the plan.
“This is a mistake, it is counterproductive, it does not serve the cause of peace and it is not fair to single Israel out while the EU does not do this in any other place on the planet,” Mark Regev, a spokesman for the prime minister, said according to the Telegraph.
To pressure Israel into those peace talks even sooner, the European Council on Foreign Relations, an influential think-tank, proposed on Wednesday that the EU take even more drastic steps: financial sanctions.
“Under its own regulations and principles, Europe cannot legally escape from its duty to differentiate between Israel and its activities in the occupied Palestinian territories,” the organization’s report, entitled “EU Differentiation and Israeli Settlements,” reads.
