Israel warns Norway’s labeling of settler goods could harm ties

Israel has warned that a decision by the Norwegian government to label products made in Jewish localities in Judea and Samaria could harm bilateral relations between the two countries.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns the Norwegian government’s decision,” it said in a statement late Saturday night following the announcement. “This decision will not contribute to the advancement of Israeli-Palestinian ties and will adversely affect bilateral relations between Israel and Norway, as well as Norway’s relevance to promoting relations between Israel and the Palestinians.”

An announcement by Norway was shared over the weekend in which it informed the public that going forward food items originating in areas “occupied by Israel” would need to be marked. It specifically called out wine, olive oil, fruit, vegetables and potatoes.

The country noted that the decision was based on a ruling made in 2019 by the European Court of Justice and that the country deems all territory won by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War as “occupied territories,” in line with resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and assessments by the International Court of Justice in the Hague. For Norway, this includes not only Judea and Samaria but areas of East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.

Israel annexed east Jerusalem in 1967 and named all of Jerusalem its capital, a move it codified in 1980. The country annexed the Golan Heights in 1981. The Golan Heights was won from Syria, which has been engaged in a vicious civil war since 2011.

Norway is not the only European country to label Israeli products made in the settlements. Belgians, for example, have been doing so for years.

During former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, a decision was made to label goods produced in those areas as “Made in Israel.” Before that, since 1995, U.S. policy required products made in Judea, Samaria and Gaza to be labeled as such.