Slovenia’s leading supermarket chain, Mercator, has allowed Israeli products to return to its shelves, a mere two days after announcing that it would cease to stock Israeli fruit, Ynet News has reported.
The original decision to halt imports was seen within Israel as support for the global BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement that aims to increase economic and political pressure on Israel to end its illegal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Israel's ambassador to Slovenia, Shmuel Meirom, had apparently planned to protest the move at the Slovenian Foreign Ministry and to meet with the Mercator CEO to persuade him to go back on the decision.
At the same time, the Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned Slovenia's ambassador to discuss the issue.
However, the Slovenian Embassy in Israel confirmed that no boycott was in force. 'There is no Slovenian boycott on Israeli products,” he said. “The agreements between the European Union and Israel are the basis of Israel's special status in its relations with Slovenia as well. The government of Slovenia has not held stocks in Mercator since 2014. The ties between Israel and Slovenia have always been good and are characterised by vast cooperation, mostly in the fields of economics, science, research, advanced technologies and tourism.'
Indeed, just two days after the ban was introduced, Mercator reportedly placed a new order for Israeli fruit, including pomelos and avocados.
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