According to Israeli media outlets, the largest Slovenian retail chain, Mercator, pulled Israeli products from its shelves, allegedly due to pressure from BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions), a pro-Palestinian movement. The outlets claim that the Slovenian state is the largest shareholder in Mercator, which is false, since the Croatian company Agrokor acquired 98 percent of the company.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry, who said the incident was troubling, invited the Slovenian ambassador to Israel to a meeting to discuss Mercator’s move. Shmuel Meirom, the Israeli Ambassador to Slovenia acting from Vienna, has also requested a meeting with Mercator and the Slovenian Foreign Ministry.

Slovenian ambassador has been alerted to the issue
"The Slovenian Foreign Ministry is aware of reports by Israeli media that Mercator had allegedly pulled Israeli products from its shelves. The Slovenian ambassador to Israel was alerted to the issue on the sidelines of a meeting at the Israeli Foreign Ministry. However, we are not aware that the Israeli ambassador had any plans to visit us in order to discuss the issue," said the Slovenian Foreign Ministry, adding that they could not comment on a private company’s decision. MMC has learned that the Israeli ambassador is coming to Slovenia to attend Borut Pahor’s New Year’s reception.

Mercator’s response was brief: "In line with good business practice, Mercator is trying to adapt to current market conditions. We source from the most cost-effective suppliers and we comply with regulations on certificates of origin. Any claims to the contrary are untrue and baseless."

Israeli products still on Slovenian shelves
Nada Pretnar, a representative of the Slovenian branch of BDS, said that the movement last year launched a petition calling on Slovenian retail stores to stop selling Jaffa products. The Israeli Ambassador to Slovenia acting from Vienna responded to this by filing a complaint with the Slovenian Foreign Ministry and Mercator. "The question is whether the petition has had any effect," said Pretnar. She claims that Mercator is still selling Israeli produce, including grapefruit, avocado and dates.

Doing business with occupied territories
While Israel decries the boycott of "Israeli products", most EU countries are apprehensive about doing business with companies based in the so-called occupied territories. 17 EU countries, including Slovenia, have advised their citizens and companies against doing business with companies operating in the occupied territories, warning that this entailed "economic and legal risks".

"The European Union and its Member States consider that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten to make a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict impossible. The EU and its Member States will not recognise any changes to the pre-1967 borders, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties. The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza and the Golan Heights are territories which have been occupied by Israel since 1967," reads a statement on the Slovenian Foreign Ministry’s website.

"As a result of the above, the European Union and its Member States are raising European citizens' and businesses' awareness on the risks related to economic and financial activities in the settlements."

Mercator stops selling products from occupied territories
In response to a question about products from the so-called occupied territories, Mercator said a year and a half ago that the company had already stopped sourcing fruit and vegetables from Israel a while ago: "We would like to assure our customers that none of the products sold in our stores are sourced from occupied territories. We offer quality products to our customers while ensuring that our reputation remains intact."

G. C.; translated by D. V.