Exports to US from Settlements Will Be Labeled ’Product of ’Israel’’

By Staff, Agencies

Goods from the illegal 'Israeli' settlements built on the occupied Palestinian territories, which are sold in the United States will be labeled as "product of 'Israel'" or similar starting Wednesday, under a new Federal Register Notice issued by US Customs and Border Protection.

The new guidelines were drawn up after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the decision during a visit to the 'Israeli'-occupied territories last month.

Up until Wednesday, products from the Zionist settlements could not be marked with 'Israel' as the source of origin, as it was considered misleading for consumers.

The change in US policy in effect erases the distinction between goods produced by Zionists on either side of the so-called Green Line, the occupation border prior to the 1967 Six-Day War.

According to the notice, the change reflects "guidance from the US Department of State that the source of origin marking requirements for goods produced in certain areas of the West Bank be updated to reflect the fact that producers in these areas operate within the economic and administrative framework of 'Israel.'"

The notice, which was published Wednesday in the Federal Register, grants importers a 90-day transition period to implement the change in policy.

The US decision does not affect exports from settlements to the European Union, the origin of which must be labeled as "'Israeli’ settlements."

Officials in the Palestinian Authority said the measure supported the 'Israeli' occupation when Pompeo announced it in November. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, described the move as "a blatant challenge to all the decisions of the international community and a continuation of the Trump administration's policy of seeking to be an active partner in the occupation of the Palestinian territories."