Damals wie heute...or for those whom have no German, as it was then, so it is today. Kauft nicht bei Juden indeed, just like the old days, nicht wahr?
The EU has finally passed what they refer to as 'labeling guidelines' on Israeli exports to the EU. Anything made or grown in Judea and Samaria, The Golan, or East Jerusalem must be labeled with what amounts to a Yellow Star, showing it was made in areas the EU has decided to consider not part of Israel. Aside from making rabid BDS activities easier, it shows, once again that the bureaucrats that are running the EU have picked sides and decided to support the Arab narrative that the areas in question are part of 'Palestine.' Eventually there's no doubt this 'labeling' it will spread to Israeli goods in general, which of course is the intent.
This action is being cheered in the usual quarters, and yes, it definitely is anti-semitism..or more accurately, appeasement of all those Muslims the EU has imported and their fellow travelers on the Left.
Anti-semitism can be easily defined as special rules for Jews (or in this case, the only Jewish State) that apply to no one else.Since there are a number of 'disputed territories' involving countries whom export to the EU or are even members ( Kashmir, Saudi Arabia's Nejd, Cueta and Mellila (Spain/Morrocco), Catalonia, Tibet, the Falklands, Turkey's illegal occupation of Cyprus, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Gibraltar just to name a few)that don't merit this special attention, singling out Israel with these rules is de facto anti-semitism, and part of the EU's love affair with their murderous welfare dole clients in 'Palestine.'
It especially makes no sense to expect Israel to give up East Jerusalem or the Golan, let alone all of Judea and Samaria. That's literally insane given the current realities.
And here's another reality. Not only is the EU hurting itself economically by doing this, it's badly hurting some of the people it claims it is 'helping.'
Israel imports far more from the EU than it exports, and most of what it imports are things like luxury food and drink items, clothing, cars and other items it can easily do without, provide domestically or find substitutes for. Only a small percentage of the $14 billion trade between Israel and the EU is impacted by these new, apartheid guidelines anyway, but this blatant discrimination can't help but impact that. Expect most Israelis (and a heck of a lot of Jews and Israel supporters with common sense around the world) to label/boycott EU items in return. Expect more unemployment in the already cash strapped EU.
One of the EU's biggest department stores, Berlin's KaDeWe found this out recently the hard way.
They made a decision to pull Israeli goods off their shelves in accordance with this nonsense, especially wines made in the Golan.
“We have taken the corresponding [Israeli] products out from our line of goods,” KaDeWe spokeswoman Petra Fladenhofer told German newspaper Der Spiegel. “We will, after appropriate labeling, put them back in our product line.”
That lasted what, two days?
Then the store apologized profusely and quickly restocked the Israeli items:
“In this matter, which was about a European Union recommendation, we acted too quickly and insensitively. We regret that this wrong behavior of the KaDeWe Group led to misunderstandings and would like to apologize for this,” the statement said.{...}
In its statement, KaDeWe stressed the fact that it stocks over 200 Israeli products and is proud to stand for “openness and internationality.”
Facebook users over the weekend launched a shaming campaign against KaDeWe, accusing it of anti-Semitism, and torpedoed its online ranking.
On the KADeWe store’s official Facebook page, hundreds of users left comments in German condemning the decision to remove the products and calling for shoppers to boycott the premises.
The official page also includes a review section where users can provide feedback on the shop. By Sunday morning, there were some 2,400 one-star ratings on the page, along with comments in English and German that recalled the Nazi era, when the store was confiscated from its Jewish then-owners.
Yes, KADeWe is one of those Jewish businesses confiscated in 1933 from its owners, who along with their families ended up in the gas chambers. No one left alive to pay compensation to after the war, so the theft became legal. The irony is maddening. It seems most Germans understood that, and let KADeWe know it in no uncertain terms.
Reminds me of a similar incident regarding Whole Foods I was involved in that I once wrote about on these pages.
And it gets better. Most Israeli producers whom manufacture or grow any items with a shelf life in the areas mentioned cut back on imports to the EU along time ago. They're exporting to Russia, India, East Asia, Australia, Canada, the US, non-EU Europe, the Caucasus and yes, the Arab world after repackaging.
Those growers whom grow perishable items (and given modern techniques of refrigeration and storage, there aren't nearly as many as those items as there used to be) will either continue repackaging, export to EU countries whom are pro-Israel and will wink at the boycott, or to the other areas I mentioned above that are closer to Israel. Hungary and the Bundestag faction of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU party in Germany have already sent strong signals they won't comply with this. Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland and other countries without large, restive Muslim populations to appease likely will wink at this as well. And Non EU Switzerland has given indications theywill almost certainly ignore this.
And those Israeli businesses that shut down or relocate? The people that will suffer most from this to any extent are those 'Palestinian' Arabs relying on jobs at these farms and manufacturers to feed their families. They are the ones who will lose their livelihood in any retrenching necessary.
Considering what the EU's real problems are right now, massive Muslim refugee migration, terrorism, declining birth rates and a stagnant economy, it's ludicrous for them to pull this out of their nether regions. But by all means, let them go right ahead. There's an interesting historical track record of what's happened to nations whom have pursued this path when it comes to Jews.
My mother always told me not to cut off my nose to spite my face, by which she meant not to pursue actions that only hurt me more than anyone else. I doubt it will happen, but the EU should listen to my mother's wisdom.
Cross posted at The Times Of Israel
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