GOP bill would keep settlement products labeled 'Made in Israel'

• Author: LAHAV HARKOV
• Published date: 23 September 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-New York), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was set to introduce what she called the Anti-BDS Labeling Act on Thursday, meant to stop the Biden administration from reversing the instruction from former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo in the final months of the Trump administration.

Pompeo's November 2020 decision reversed a guideline from the Clinton administration in 1995 that settlement goods must be labeled "Made in the West Bank." That was not enforced until 2016, when the Obama administration republished those guidelines, warning that violators could incur fines.

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US law states that every article of foreign origin imported into the US must be marked with its country of origin unless an exception is provided by law. Though decisions about settlement labeling have been made by the executive branch in recent decades, Congress has the authority to pass laws regarding foreign commerce.

Tenney argued that returning to the pre-Pompeo policy would empower those who seek to boycott Israel. Labeling Israeli products from Judea and Samaria differently from other products makes it easier to seek them out for boycott.

"The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement is fueling antisemitism in the United States and around the world," she stated. "The United States must remain steadfast in our support for Israel, which is why I introduced this bill. My legislation defends the integrity of the Jewish state and prohibits the Biden administration from targeting specific goods made in Israel by banning 'Made in Israel' country-of-origin labels."

Earlier this year, The National, based in Abu Dhabi, reported on a leaked memo of the Biden administration's plans in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which included reversing the labeling decision, but they have yet to announce any changes. The US Embassy in Israel's spokesperson said, "We have no changes to announce to the current guidelines on country of origin markings."

Tenney accused the Biden administration of not being able to "stand firm against radical activists."

She submitted her bill just days after the House Democratic leadership removed funding for Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system from a bill...