South Africa plans to mark settlement goods

South Africa plans to ban labeling products of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as made in Israel, a popular committee said Saturday. The directive by South Africa's Department of Trade and Industry says: "consumers in South Africa should not be misled into believing that products originating from the (occupied Palestinian territory) are products originating from Israel. "The government of South Africa recognizes the state of Israel only within the borders demarcated by the United Nations in 1948," not including occupied Palestinian territory, the notice continues. The Popular Struggle Coordination Committee said the directive is the result of the group's advocacy with supporters in South Africa. Committee coordinator Mohammed Khatib said the notice "is an important first step, which, reason suggests, should be followed by a complete ban on the marketing of these products in South Africa, no matter how they are labeled." The directive, issued on May 10, invited public comments on the regulatory change within 60 days. According to Israeli daily Ynet, Israel's Foreign Ministry will summon South Africa's ambassador in Israel on Sunday over the move. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor called the directive an "essentially racist decision," Israeli new site The Times of Israel reported. On Friday, Danish media reported the country will introduce a labeling system to denote products made in Israeli settlements. "This is a move that will clearly show consumers that this produce has been produced under conditions that not only the Danish government, but also the European governments have rejected," Danish Foreign Minister Villy Sovndal was quoted as saying by Danish online news-site Politken.