Origin Marking: Israel
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues about imports from Israeli settlements mislabeled as originating from Israel.
Answered by Chris Bryant
I have had several discussions with colleagues on trade with and within the Israeli settlements in Palestine, which are illegal under international law. We strongly advise against conducting any economic and financial activities in settlements.
Goods produced in these settlements are not entitled to benefit from preferential tariff treatment under the UK’s trade agreements with the Palestinian Authority and Government of Israel. UK operators are advised on gov.uk that, to claim preferential tariffs, all movement certificates and invoice declarations made out in Israel must include the origin where production has taken place. Where there are doubts about the declared origin of goods, HMRC undertakes checks to verify it.
The UK Government has introduced guidelines outlining how products originating from the territories occupied by Israel since 1967 should be specifically labelled as such as not to mislead the consumer.
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