US also demands truthful labels
The Shilo winery is one of many companies which label their products ‘Made in Israel’ when they are in fact made in a West Bank settlement. See map below.
U.S. restates labelling rules on ‘made in Israel’ products
By AFP / Al Arabiya,
January 29, 2016
The United States has issued a reminder that products imported from the West Bank or Gaza should not be labelled “made in Israel,” the State Department confirmed on Thursday [Jan 28th].
The guidance was issued last week by U.S. Customs but debate erupted after media reports suggested Washington was hardening its stance against Israeli settlement policy.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the decision to reissue the policy had been taken after complaints that some West Bank products had been mislabelled prior to U.S. import.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection reissued guidance on their marking requirements,” he told reporters. “It in no way supersedes prior rulings or regulations.
“And nor does it impose additional requirements with respect to merchandise imported from the West Bank, Gaza Strip or Israel.”
The U.S. Customs statement, visible on the agency’s website, restates the terms of 1995 and 1997 laws requiring that goods from Gaza and the West Bank be labelled as such.
“It is not acceptable to mark the aforementioned goods with the words ‘Israel,’ ‘Made in Israel,’ ‘Occupied Territories-Israel’ or any variation thereof,” the statement said.
Some Israeli settlers living in the West Bank are known to label products for export as being from Israel, and the European Union recently acted to ban the practice.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has repeatedly condemned the European move, which Israel feels discriminates against Jewish producers and amounts to a boycott.
The settlements are deemed illegal under international law, and some supporters of the Palestinian claim on the West Bank have demanded a boycott of settler merchandise.
The United States opposes Israel’s settlement of the area, but insists its labelling regulations don’t discriminate between Israeli and Palestinian producers.
“Our understanding is that there were allegations of mislabelling, around nine or ten complaints,” Toner said, explaining why U.S. Customs had reissued its guidance.
“As you know, U.S. guidelines don’t differentiate between products produced in settlements or anywhere else in the West Bank,” he said.
Shilo is firmly in the centre of the Palestinian West Bank
U.S. Insists No Change in ‘Made in West Bank’ Labelling Order
By Nathan Guttman, Jewish Forward
January 29, 2016
The Obama administration sought to reassure Israel that a U.S. Customs reminder barring all products made in the West Bank and Gaza from being marketed in the United States under the label “Made in Israel” does not amount to a change in American policy.
News of the Custom’s January 23 reminder was first reported by the Forward on January 28.
US Labelling Rules Already Bar ‘Made in Israel’ Tag for West Bank
The need for the reminder, said State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner, came after Customs and Border Protection received “around 9 to 10” complaints regarding mislabeling of products originating in the West Bank.
“So this guidance was simply a restatement of previous requirements,” said Toner in the State Department’s daily press briefing. “There’s nothing new. This is simply a reissuance of guidance.”
A spokeswoman for the CBP would not provide specific information regarding investigations into alleged infractions of the labelling rules.
According to the 1995 Customs rule, products from the West Bank and Gaza should be labelled, when exported to the United States, as “Made in the West Bank” or “Made in Gaza” and should not carry a label claiming they are made in Israel. The rule, which was initially passed in order to encourage Palestinian exports to the U.S., does not distinguish between goods made by Palestinians and those produced by Jewish settlers.
While the administration sought to clarify that re-issuing of the rule does not indicate any change in policy, Israeli officials expressed scepticism regarding the reason for posting a reminder to the 20-years old rule. “The Americans are making a policy move under the guise of a technical measure,” said an unnamed Israeli government source quoted in the Ynet website. “It’s hard to believe that Customs officials will issue such a directive only because someone complained that the rule is not being enforced.”
Contact Nathan Guttman on Twitter @nathanguttman