The European Commission's decision to label products from Israeli settlements in the occupied territories is the latest step by the international boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, established in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 2005.
The Nov. 11 EU decision is the result of the combined efforts of different groups, including Palestinians in Europe. Palestinian institutions — such as the Palestinian Assembly in Germany, the Coordinating Council to support Palestine in Austria, the Palestinian Justice Center in Sweden, the Palestinian Forum in Belgium and others — are still working to strengthen ties with EU decision-making circles, be they the European Parliament, universities or others.
There were many efforts to boycott Israel on the academic and cultural levels in Europe in 2015. The UK's National Union of Students — which numbers about 7 million — called for a boycott of Israel on June 3, while some concerts by European artists scheduled to be held in Israel were canceled, such as Norwegian singer Moddi's show in January 2014.
On the economic level, the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics announced in June that Israel's economy had incurred losses of about $6 billion in 2013 and 2014 as a result of the European boycott of agricultural products from Israeli settlements, and this figure is expected to reach $9.5 billion by the end of 2015.
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