The Kaufhaus des Westens in Germany, usually abbreviated to KaDeWe, is a Thai owned department store in Berlin. In line with the recent European Union decision to label products originating in the so-called “West Bank”, areas liberated by Israel in the June 1967 Six Day War, it has removed all of these products from its store’s shelves.

KaDeWe has over 60,000 square meters of selling space and more than 380,000 articles available, it is the largest department store in Continental Europe and therefore, the move is indeed a significant one that may lead to others following suit.

According to the regulations of the new ruling, products originating in these areas must be marked accordingly, informing shoppers of their location of origin. Those items not in compliance with the new discriminatory labeling law are subject to significant fines.

At the start of the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday morning, 10 Kislev, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu commented “First, I would like to comment on the KaDeWe department store in Berlin. This department store had been owned by Jews; the Nazis took it. Absurdly, the store is now labeling products from communities in Yehuda, Shomron and the Golan Heights. It started with labeling products and now we are told that the products have been removed from the shelves – a boycott in every respect. We strongly protest this step, which is unacceptable morally, historically and on its merits. We expect the German government, which came out against product labeling, to act on this grave matter”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)