Former MK Yael Dayan
Former MK Yael DayanMoshe Shai / Flash 90

While Israeli parliamentarians rushed Wednesday to condemn the European Union's decision to label Jewish-made goods from Judea and Samaria, a group of leftists have come out in favor of the measure. 

In a petition signed by 550 former politicians and intellectuals, the group charges the move is necessary to "promote peace in the region."

"We, Israelis who care about their country now more than ever, welcome the EU's decision to label products from Israeli settlements, and we hope that additional countries will follow in this process," the petition states. 

"The separation the international community has made between Israel and the territory of the settlements is a step that could promote peace in the region, strengthen Israel's position in the world and thwart attempts to delegitimize it."

The signatories then called on the European Union and other governments around the world to take further steps "to separate between Israel's '67 borders and the occupied territories," in reference to the 1949 Armistice lines.

"Millions of Israelis and Palestinians can hope for a better future if the international community will continue to demonstrate involvement and [provide] assistance to the sides to achieve a fair solution for both people enabling the existence of two states, Israel and Palestine, side by side, in peace and security."

Notable signatories include former Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg, former Foreign Ministry director-general Alon Liel, former attorney general Michael Ben-Yair, former Knesset member Yael Dayan, former education minister Yossi Sarid, and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman. 

Israel's Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, condemned the move, calling it "an exceptional and discriminatory step, inspired by the boycott movement" against Israel.