Israel Says Canada Ruling on West Bank Wines ‘Encourages’ BDS

Israel has said a Canadian Federal Court ruling that wines produced in Jewish communities in the West Bank can no longer be labeled as “Made in Israel,” will “encourage” the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS). “The Canadian court’s decision concerning labeling of Israeli products encourages and lends support to boycotts and the BDS movement. Israel objects to this,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli embassy in Canada will continue to act against discriminatory treatment and the singling out of Israel in the matter of product labeling in Canada,” it added. On Monday, Canadian Federal Judge Anne L. Mactavish deemed labeling these wines as “Israeli products” is “false, misleading and deceptive.” Challenging a previous decision by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Mactavish noted that Jewish communities in the West Bank are not considered part of the State of Israel, as Canada does not recognize Israeli sovereignty beyond the pre-1967 borders. This, despite the fact that the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement applies in “the territory where the customs laws of Israel are applied,” including the West Bank.