- The Federal Court of Canada has ruled today that West Bank wines cannot be sold as Israeli products. Among the reasons, the court has argued that trade mark labelling is "false, wrong and misleading".
The courts have taken the decision following a complaint by a citizen of Bilbao. In 2017, David Kattenburg, of Jewish origin, filed a complaint with the Food Inspection Agency of Canada upon learning that the wines of the Psagot and Shiloh wineries were labeled as Israeli products, but produced in the West Bank.
Initially, the food agency agreed to withdraw the label, but rejected this decision because of the Free Trade Agreement between Israel and Canada, which establishes a common trade policy. The pact recognises that the occupied Palestinian territories are from Israel, while the Palestinians belong to Israel.
Faced with this, Kattenbug appealed to the decision of the Food Inspection Agency of Canada, arguing that the occupied territories are not recognized as Israeli territory by Canada and the international community. Thus, the Canadian Federal Court judge has admitted that selling as Israeli products is "false and misleading" and not "misleading."
Like France
A similar case is currently open in the French State, as the wines of the winery Psagot have been banned in France as Israeli products, so the wines produced in the Israeli colonies of the West Bank should be sold as products produced in Israeli "settlements".