Despite the European Union's consistent acknowledgment that Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are illegal, it is taking the Europeans a long time to translate this principled stance into policy. One of the simplest and most obvious ways the EU can act on the issue is to make sure that Europeans know whether the products they purchase are made in occupied territory.

In 2011, the EU issued a directive requiring the labeling of goods to inform consumers about the source of products. This was followed in 2015 by an “interpretive notice” announcing the requirement that goods produced in Israeli settlements have identifiable labeling clearly stating that they were made in a settlement.

Only France followed through on the directive, issuing a regulation in 2016 requiring such labeling. The French temporarily suspended the reg in July 2018 after settlers took legal action.

Psagot Winery — which advertises itself as a “Jerusalem Mountains Winery” but is located in the Psagot settlement — and the Organization Juive Européenne filed a lawsuit in France claiming that the requirement is discriminatory. France turned the matter over to the European Court of Justice, which is expected to hear the case in September. An advisory opinion published June 13 not only supports the need for labeling, but also makes a direct connection to the case of apartheid South Africa.