Members of the European Parliament took part in a tour of the Biblical heartland of Samaria on Wednesday, to take a look at the facts on the ground ahead of an imminent discriminatory EU move to label Jewish products from the region and Judea.
One parliament member who took part in the tour was Roger Helmer of the UK, who is Head of Delegation for the UKIP party. He spoke about the legitimate need for Jewish housing in the region in the face of European condemnation.
Credit: Shmuel Adelman
Helmer also spoke about the negative effects of the BDS boycott targeting the region, noting that those most affected would be the thousands of Palestinian Arabs employed at Jewish factories.
He invited more European Parliament members to visit the region and see the reality on the ground.
Credit: Shmuel Adelman
Also taking part in the tour was MEP Petr Mach, who heads the Free Citizens Party in the Czech Republic.
Mach spoke about his opposition to the boycott, stating that his stance is "free trade." He criticized the "foolish" boycott for being both impractical and not yielding any benefits.
Credit: Shmuel Adelman
Regarding the legality of Israel's presence in Judea and Samaria, and consequently the legality of products from there, the 2012 Levy Report proved that Israel's presence in its Biblical heartland is completely legal according to international law.
However, despite being commissioned by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, the coalition government has yet to adopt the report.