The head of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) will hold a symposium at the European Union Parliament in Brussels. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – The head of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) will hold a symposium at the European Union Parliament in Brussels to address the recent European Union decision to label Israeli goods made in Judea and Samaria, the Golan Heights, and eastern Jerusalem.

The symposium will be held on Dec. 2 and will call on EU lawmakers to find an alternative approach in finding a solution between the two sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to foster economic cooperation, stability, and peace, ICEJ said.

“This labeling law will only divide Israelis and Palestinians further,” said ICEJ Executive Director Dr. Jürgen Bühler. “Co-existence is better achieved by establishing factories and business partnerships in areas where Palestinians and Israelis live side-by-side.”

Earlier this month, the EU introduced guidelines requiring member states to stop carrying the “Made in Israel” label for products made in Jewish communities situated beyond the 1967 lines. Bühler said he believes the recent EU decision is a “double standard” and that the EU does not make similar labeling requirements for goods from other disputed territories such as northern Cyprus or the Western Sahara.

“If the EU really wants to promote peace they should stop penalizing those Israelis and Palestinians who are working together to make a living. Instead, they should provide greater incentives for them to forge deeper bonds of co-operation, without using labeling laws which could further the anti-Israeli propaganda that is sweeping Europe,” he said.

Headquartered in Jerusalem, ICEJ represents millions of Christian supporters of Israel and reaches some 140 countries with branches in more than 80 nations.