Labeling on UAE Imports Still Unclear

The vexing question of labeling products from Yehuda and Shomron remained unclear on Wednesday, even as the head of Dubai’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry told Globes they are all for the fullest of free trade ties.

“We are an open market in every sense of the word, and that means the broader the trade is and the more it is able to help various populations in the region, the better,” Hamad Buamim, president and CEO of the chamber, was quoted as saying.

The UAE will not boycott Israeli products from Yehuda and Shomron, Buamim said, though he did not clarify whether the UAE will require separate labeling of products from the region.

Last week, Bahrain backtracked on an official statement that Yehuda and Shomron products could be labeled “Made in Israel” like any other Israeli goods imported into their country.

Buamim noted that normalization with Israel should bring economic benefits to the Palestinians as well.

“The advantages of the current [normalization] agreements and those that will come for the Palestinians are particularly great, and they have the potential to make the necessary change [for peace] in the area,” he said.

His remarks did not carry authority, however. The chamber is a public non-profit organization created by royal decree in 1965 to support the business community in Dubai.