Israel is growing increasingly concerned about an expected European Court of Justice decision that would mandate European countries to label Israeli products imported from settlements in Judea and Samaria.
The ECJ is currently considering a request from France's top tribunal "for clarifications of rules on labeling goods" from Judea and Samaria, east Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The issue was first raised when an Israeli winery in the Binyamin region in southern Samaria and French-Jewish advocacy group Organisation Juive Européenne appealed a French court's decision that determined that wines produced beyond the Green Line cannot be labeled as "Made in Israel."
The ECJ is expected to issue its final ruling on the matter on Nov. 12 and is likely to rule that goods imported from Judea and Samaria must be labeled as such, as opposed to ones imported from sovereign Israel.
Until now, European governments could ignore Brussel's guidelines on labeling but the ECJ's decision on the matter, which cannot be appealed, will be legally binding for all EU member states.
In practice, it would mean that any anti-Israel activist could potentially seek legal action against settlement products labeled as made in Israel, Israeli officials warned.
"This ruling will be a boon for BDS," an Israeli official said, referring to the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. "We know that they're following this with great interest."
Seeking to prevent the ruling, the Foreign Ministry has ordered Israeli officials in Europe to increase their public diplomacy efforts.
Israel's ambassadors and consuls have been asked to reiterate that labeling goods produced in Judea and Samaria – a move likely to encourage consumer boycotts – will do nothing to promote the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
"Any ECJ ruling to that effect will be morally and ethically wrong," the ministry's memo reads, adding that a ruling of this kind "would undermine the EU's own policy that only direct negotiations [between Israel and the Palestinians] will lead to a mutually agreed and viable solution."
It further warned that a product labeling directive would "encourage those who are undermining Israel's legitimacy and promoting boycotts against it. Implementing a ruling of this kind will have a negative effect on Israel's relations with the EU and its member states."
A diplomatic source told Israel Hayom that the Foreign Ministry is waiting for the final decision to be issued "because the wording itself could have serious and important implications.
"If it has a general wording that does not specify exactly how the product labeling directive should be enforced, then we'll have some leeway. If the guidelines are detailed, this will be a serious blow as all EU member-states are bound by it," he explained.
