Bundestag President Norbert Lammert told visiting Israeli counterpart Yuli Edelstein on Wednesday that Israelis need to "calm down" about the EU's decision to mark products made in the Golan Heights, Judea and Samaria.
"We find the decision to mark products unnecessary and unwise," Lammert said, "But it is not an anti-Semitic matter, and Israelis need to calm down a bit on this matter."
"It needs to be clear and understood that there is agreement between the lawmakers of Israel and Germany that this step is wrong," Lammert explained. "But there was no way to stop it from being advanced in the European Parliament."
He revealed that Germany had opposed the move throughout the discussions that were held on the matter. "We had disagreements on whether the marking is motivated by anti-Semitism," he said. "We did not agree on this matter, nor on the question of whether the move would have positive or negative consequences."
Lammert said that the decision is linked to the European outlook on the legal status of Judea and Samaria, adding: "We understand the sensitivity and hope both sides will handle the matter with sensitivity."
"We could have accepted this decision, if the European Commission's guidelines were applied to all occupied territories in the world," he elaborated. "But since this is an exclusive decision regarding this region, I repeat that this was a decision that should not have been approved, and it is even less good that some are implementing it."