(The Tower) Greece became the second European nation to declare its refusal to abide by the European Union’s newly issued guidelines on labeling Israeli products manufactured beyond the 1967 armistice lines, i24 news reported Tuesday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was made aware of Greece’s decision after receiving a letter from Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias.
Greece’s rejection of the EU guidelines comes days after Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras visited Israel. While in Jerusalem, Tsipras signed the guest book of Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, saying that it was a “great honor to be in your historic capital and to meet your excellencies.” Tsipras’ acknowledgement of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was called “unprecedented, especially for a European leader” by an unnamed former Israeli diplomat.
Greece is the second European nation to announce its opposition to the labeling guidelines. Last month, Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó also expressed his government’s rejection of the EU directive during a visit to Israel. “We do not support that decision. It is an inefficient instrument. It is irrational and does not contribute to a solution [to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict], but causes damage,” Szijjártó explained.
Source: The Tower
