Wine grapes
Wine grapesiStock

Dutch government inspectors have said they would fine a store selling wine from Hebron that is labeled as made in Israel, JTA reported on Wednesday.

The warning came during a July 10 inspection of the Israel Products Center, an importer and retail outfit run by pro-Israel group Christians for Israel.

In a statement, the center said that two agents from the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority did not confiscate any products but warned that the center could face fines for violating labeling requirements. The center said it would not comply.

In 2015, the European Commission adopted regulations barring the labeling of products from areas it considers occupied by Israel as made in Israel.

The regulations are binding, but the European Commission has limited recourse against violators. The Dutch government has so far not fined anyone for labeling violations.

In late 2019, the European Court of Justice ruled that all EU member states must label products from Judea and Samaria, eastern Jerusalem and the Golan Heights as ones manufactured in an Israeli “settlement”.

The Dutch Parliament later approved a resolution proposing that the Dutch government should not implement the European Court of Justice's decision, so long as a similar decision is not made regarding other disputed territories around the world.

Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs accused the ministry of pursuing a double standard.

“Why inspect Israeli products but none from China, which occupies Tibet, or goods from Morocco, which occupies Western Sahara, or Turkey (northern Cyprus), Russia (Crimea)?” Rabbi Jacobs said in a statement quoted by JTA.