The Times of Israel reports an umbrella group of European rabbis branded the recent EU move to require special country-of-origin labels on good manufactured in the Golan Heights, West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem “a new case of anti-Semitism in Europe.”

The Conference of European Rabbis Wednesday condemned the EU decision to label Israeli goods produced in the occupied territories without regard to opposition from a number of leading religious figures.

The CER’s condemnation echoes denouncements by Israeli politicians who criticize the EU decision to impose labeling guidelines on Israeli products produced over the Green Line, with the government likening the move to a boycott and MKs saying it was tantamount to anti-Semitism.

The council of chief rabbis from across Europe meeting in Athens said the EU move savored of anti-Semitism. “The EU’s decision to label products imported from the settlements and from the Golan Heights in Israel is a disgrace and is characterized by hatred of Israel,” Channel 10 quoted conference president and Moscow Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt saying.

He said that the conference had dealt successfully with previous efforts by the EU to brand kosher meat, and that they would address this matter as well. “Today we’re saying again: you want to brand? Go ahead. Brand the products made in Syria by the Islamic State and in Syria by [president Bashar] Assad,” Goldschmidt said. “These initiatives are the new anti-Semitism in Europe.”

Taking the opposing view, Belgian Chief Rabbi Avraham Guigui, head of rabbis from EU member-states, said the move by Brussels wasn’t anti-Semitic, but rather “their way to oppose the politics of the current government [of Israel]… They don’t like the government and its policies, so this is what they’re doing.”

Earlier Wednesday the Israeli Foreign Ministry warned in a statement the plan could affect relations and accused Brussels of applying double standards to Israel “while ignoring 200 other territorial disputes around the world.”

“Israel condemns the decision of the European Union to label Israeli goods originating over the ’67 lines. We regret that the EU chose for political reasons to take an unusual and discriminatory step which is drawn from the realm of boycotts, just as Israel is facing a wave of terror directed at all citizens,” the statement read. “The claim that this is a technical step is a cynical, baseless claim.”

The European Commission “adopted this morning the interpretative notice on indication of origin of goods from the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967,” that EU executive body reported.

Wednesday’s move underscores EU unhappiness over Israel’s continued expansion of settlements on territory Palestinians want for a future state.

The new import guidelines say labels must indicate whether the product is made at an Israeli settlement, not just geographical origin.

The EU claimed the move, which has been in the works for over a year, was independent of any political considerations, and was intended only to clarify misleading labels claiming goods from the occupied territories originated in Israel.

Original Times of Israel story here.