22 foreign lawmakers who visited Israel this week stated that they oppose the EU’s decision – not yet announced- to label products from Israeli settlements, vowing to pursue measures to counter such a labeling.

The MPs from the European Union, Africa, Central and South America plan to issue a bill stating that boycotts against products manufactured in Judea and Samaria (the Wesk Bank) communities are in violation of international trade and commerce laws.

Their visit in Israel coincided with the Israel Allies Foundation’s annual Jerusalem Chairman’s Conference.

In a resolution presented to Israel’s Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, who has the fight against the boycott of Israel in his competences, also stated their opposition to any form of economic sanctions that may be imposed on Israel by European countries, and that they support Judea and Samaria communities’ business ventures.

The resolution also said that boycotts and related tactics ‘’are a form of economic and political warfare meant to threaten Israel’s sovereignty and security, and are the antithesis of peace, dialogue and reconciliation.’’

The parliamentarians called on their governments to divest from any company that supports boycotts, sanctions and divestment against Israel. “We call on our respective governments to further promote economic cooperation with Israel and reinforce policies examining a company’s promotion or compliance with unsanctioned boycotts, divestment from or sanctions against Israel as part of its consideration in awarding grants and contracts. We furthermore seek the divestment of our governments’ state assets from companies that support or promote actions to boycott, divest from or sanction Israel,” the resolution states.

‘’We unequivocally declare our support for the Jewish people to live in peace, safety and security in the Land of Israel, and in their undivided capital, Jerusalem…[and] recognize the unique, historic and spiritual significance of the Land of Israel and the City of Jerusalem to the Jewish People.’’

“The State of Israel is the most prominent target of [BDS] activity,” the resolution reads. “The de-legitimization and double standards applied to Israel, the nation-state of the Jewish people, are immoral, unjust and reminiscent of anti-Semitic rhetoric applied to the Jewish people in the past.” The resolution acknowledged that many countries’ public policy is to oppose boycotts against Israel or generally based on national origin, and that they cooperate with Israel to benefit their companies and improve economic competitiveness. The MPs from the UK, Italy, Slovakia, Holland, Greece, Hungary, Czech Republic, Greece, Finland, Canada, South Africa, Uganda, Guatemala, Uruguay, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Chile and Paraguay, visited the Binyamin Regional Council’s industrial park were Jews and Arab are working together.

“I’m proud to be here and to see the collaboration between Arabs and Jews in Binyamin,” European Parliament member Bastiaan Belder from the Netherlands said, adding that the delegation “will stand steadfast against any boycott of Israeli products.”

Minister Erdan praised the resolution and said the MPs “realize that the BDS movement does not aim to bring peace but rather the destruction of the State of Israel as the national homeland of the Jewish people and we are united against it."

He also came out against the labeling of settlement products, as supported by the European Parliament last month, saying that the policy “would make history’s greatest anti-Semites proud.”

South African MP Kenneth Meshoe encouraged his European colleagues to fight labeling. “We demonstrated on the streets of South Africa and legislators changed their minds,” Meshoe recounted.

Member of the European Parliament Fulvio Martusciello of Italy, who chairs the parliament’s delegation for relations with Israel, said that labeling is ‘’ a criminal discrimination.’’

“I am working on a resolution against labeling in the European Parliament, particularly in the European People’s Party (the largest political group), which will surely pass in parliament, because we want peace,” he said.

According to British MP Mark Pritchard, “the proposal to label products from Judea and Samaria is against WTO rules and we have committed to battle such discriminatory practices in our respective parliaments.”

Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely declared last week that any European country that introduces the labelling of settlement products will be regarded as supporting a boycott of Israel and will remove itself from playing a significant role in the Middle East conflict.

She described labeling as a "red line" for Israel and threatened to downgrade Israel's economic ties with countries that implement it.

“Our concern is that once you put a label on Judea and Samaria, you put a label on Israel,” she said. “We see it as a boycott of Israel for all intents and purposes. We view it as a slippery slope. It’s simply a sweeping disqualification of Israel.”

The European Commission is expected to decide on the issue this month.