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The European Union recently began enforcing a new law that requires Israeli products that originate in settlements in the West Bank and the Golan Heights to be labeled as such and include the word “Settlement” on the label. An article in the Israeli daily Ha’artez mentioned that there is concern among Israeli farmers who do not live in those territories that this will hurt them as well because shoppers might not know the difference and end up boycotting all products that are made in Israel.

The EU attempt to punish Israel by labeling products made in “Occupied Territories” is a good thing, but typical of the EU – it is going in the wrong direction. It is in fact only giving legitimacy to the claim that occupied Palestine is limited to the West Bank and the Gaza strip. That somehow the occupied territories are limited to these areas. One has to wonder then, what about the rest of Palestine?

Maybe the EU governments have a poor memory and need a short lesson in history. Israel occupied most of Palestine in 1948 and established a state that offered exclusive rights to Jewish people who were willing to come and colonize. The conquest of Palestine by the Zionists was done through acts of terrorism and ethnic cleansing, both criminal acts under international law. The Zionist movement wanted to prove that there was a so-called “People Without a Land” and that it would inherit a “Land Without a People.” Of course everyone knew this was a lie, the land had a people, Palestine was a thriving country, but they were the wrong people.

Having conquered the land and forced into exile close to one million people, Israel then went on to pass racist laws the preferred Jews to non-Jews. Israel wiped hundreds of Palestinians towns and villages and ancient monuments of the map and built cities and towns, farms and factories for Jews only on Palestinian land. For reasons that had to do with Israeli interests at the time, two areas that were named the “West Bank” and the “Gaza Strip,” areas that have no natural boundaries but were drawn by Israel, were left out of the State of Israel at that point.

Twenty years later, in 1967, Israel completed the occupation of Palestine, or as it calls it “The Land of Israel” by taking the areas left out – namely the West Bank and the Gaza strip. Israel also took the Golan Heights in 1967, an area that consecutive Israeli governments and the military coveted for its rich water supply and strategic location. Having taken the West Bank which included East Jerusalem, the Israeli government and military continued the process of ethnic cleansing to a degree that was still possible, once again through horrific acts of violence and forced expulsions. This was followed by destruction of Palestinian towns and villages and massive building for Jews only on Palestinian land. Clearly one can see a pattern here. But there was nothing unique about the West Bank and Israel treated that territory just as it treated other parts of Palestine: Get the Arabs out and build for Jews only.

Not unlike the recognition by several European countries of a Palestinian state that does not exist, a recognition that only contributes to the myth that there is an independent Palestine and it has a government, this EU decision only contributed to the myth that the occupation of Palestine is limited to the West Bank, which by the way, no longer exists and the Gaza strip. Furthermore, it implies that only Israeli cities and towns built in the areas occupied in 1967 are illegal settlements built on stolen Palestinian lands. What then, one must repeat and ask, of the lands stolen in 1948 and the illegal cities and towns and farms and highways and factories built on those lands?

In a recent interview I was asked if I would also refer to Israelis living in Tel-Aviv as settlers. Funny question, really. Israelis like to think that only those who live in the West Bank are settlers and that the rest are plain peace loving people, wrongly abused and victimized. The truth is that all Israelis are colonizers, settlers, and occupiers and, unless they oppose it in no uncertain terms, they are enforcers of a racist, apartheid regime. So the short answer is, yes, all Israelis are settlers, regardless of whether they live in Tel-Aviv or Jerusalem, or Ma’ale Edomim or Kiryat Arba. All of Israeli is occupied Palestine and the myth that the occupation of Palestine began in 1967 needs to be buried for good.

Israelis also like to claim that they are a persecuted people, victims of racism and violence. But this too is a lie. Israelis have never been persecuted nor were they victims of anything but their own stupidity perhaps. The fact that other Jewish people in different parts of the world and at certain periods were subjected to persecution and racism bares no relevance to Israelis today. And the fact is that the majority of Jewish People who were victims of persecution, if they chose to immigrate, immigrated to other countries and did not heed the call to colonize Palestine.

Had the EU wanted to make bold statements and contribute to ending the conflict in Palestine, they would announce loud and clear that they recognize that all of Palestine is occupied and must be freed from the Zionist regime. They would enforce boycott, divestment, sanctions and isolation of Israel and they would make sure that any products sold in the EU that originate in Israel are labeled clearly, so people will know they are supporting an apartheid state.

But the EU governments are not known for their courage, so they chose the path of cowards. Perhaps trying to appease their constituents who are losing patience with Israel and demand some action from their elected leaders, European governments thought a meaningless - and from their perspective harmless - recognition of a state that does not exist would ease the pressure and maybe even their conscience. But clearly, having raped and pillaged Africa, Asia and the Arab World, European governments see no harm in Israel raping and pillaging Palestine. In fact, billions of dollars in revenue go into the pockets of Europeans as a result of their collaboration with Israel.