Thousands of Christians Visit Judea and Samaria to Support Israeli Businesses

Thousands of Christians visited Israeli localities in Judea and Samaria as part of the annual conference of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ). The visit aimed to express opposition to sanctions and trade bans imposed by several European countries on products from these areas. At the Psagot winery, Dag Juliussen, head of the Norwegian branch of the ICEJ, condemned European laws prohibiting the purchase of products from Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, calling them "pure and simple antisemitism." He presented buying local products as a moral response to these measures.

Hundreds of participants also traveled to the Binyamin and Gush Etzion regions to meet residents and purchase goods directly from local businesses. The ICEJ had previously condemned the European trade restrictions earlier in the month. The organization believes that while violence by a minority of Israeli extremists against Palestinians must be combated by authorities, it does not justify measures targeting all Jewish inhabitants of the region.

The ICEJ also accused the concerned European countries of applying a double standard to Israel, noting that comparable sanctions have not been imposed on other disputed territories like Northern Cyprus or Western Sahara. According to the ICEJ, these trade bans also serve a political objective and could be intended to influence upcoming Israeli elections.