Migros chain says it wants to offer customers greater transparency, adds Swiss gov't, UN consider settlements illegal.
By JPOST.COM STAFFMIGROS 370(photo credit: REUTERS/Ruben Sprich)
Switzerland's largest supermarket chain, Migros, announced Wednesday that it will label products originating in West Bank settlements and east Jerusalem, Swissinfo reported.Migros stated that it wanted to offer customers greater transparency, adding that the Swiss government and the UN consider settlements illegal.The company spokeswoman, Monika Weibel, stated on Tuesday that Migros does not support boycotts but rather wants to let customers make informed decisions.Earlier this month, South Africa declared its intent on placing special labels on products from the settlements.In 2009, the British government issued an official but non-binding recommendation urging retailers to place labels on products produced in the West Bank telling whether they were made by Palestinians or settlers.Denmark appears to be following Britain’s lead, with the Foreign Ministry spokesman telling the AFP last week that the government was “preparing a system of information based on retailers’ voluntary participation, identifying food products coming from Israeli settlements.”Discussions over West Bank labeling has prompted EU envoy to Israel Andrew Standley to state unequivocally that there are no discussions at the EU level of banning settlement products fom Europe. Ireland's Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore recently proposed that the EU consider banning products from settlements.Herb Keinon contributed to this report.
