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Updated November 19th, 2020 at 20:50 IST

US to label exports from West Bank settlements as 'Made in Israel': Mike Pompeo

US will ensure “country of origin markings for Israeli and Palestinian goods are consistent with our reality-based foreign policy approach," Pompeo said.

Reported by: Zaini Majeed
US
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On November 18, the US Department of State initiated new guidelines to ensure the legal rights of the Jewish retailers in the occupied West Bank to label their export as Israeli. The United States will ensure that the “country of origin markings for Israeli and Palestinian goods are consistent with our reality-based foreign policy approach,” US State dept. said in an official release. “ Psagot and other businesses have been targeted by pernicious EU labelling efforts that facilitate the boycott of Israeli companies,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a Tweet. “The US stands with Israel and will not tolerate any form of delegitimization,” he added. 

In a move to back Israel's authority over the Palestinian territory, US announced that all producers within the belts which are Israeli dominated, most notably Area C under the Oslo Accords will have their goods marked as ‘Made in Israel’ or ‘Product of Israel’. The export label will demonstrate the economic and administrative framework of Israel, Pompeo said. Furthermore, Pompeo stated that in the areas of West Bank and other regions with Palestinian Authority, producers must mark the  products as  “West Bank”, meanwhile the goods produced in Gaza shall be labelled as ‘Gaza’ and not as ‘West Bank/Gaza’, as the two regions remain politically and administratively separate. 

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EU's ruling on 'special labels'

The announcement was followed by US Secretary of State’s luncheon at the “scenic Psagot Winery” in the Sha’ar Binyamin industrial area near Jerusalem, after which, he immediately declared the new guidelines. Pompeo arrived in Israel as part of his seven-nation tour. His recent announcement, however, would put the Trump administration on the outs with the European Union, which passed a law stating that the products originating out of Israeli settlements must be marked such that allowed customers some ethical considerations. The Jewish association, although, had slammed the court’s ruling as “discriminatory”. The verdict of the European Union's top court that obliged retailers to slap special labels politically divided the retailers that said that the ruling projected the occupying power as the sovereign entity. 

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Published November 19th, 2020 at 20:49 IST

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