The National Council of Young Israel (NCYI) last week expressed its appreciation to the Trump administration after US Customs and Border Protection put into effect an order that mandates that products made in areas of Judea and Samaria (otherwise known as the “West Bank”) controlled by Israel and exported to the United States shall be labeled “Made in Israel.”
The US Customs and Border Protection’s directive refers to “Area C” of the West Bank, which represents an area that was placed under Israeli military rule pursuant to the Oslo Accords.
The new requirement comes in the wake of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Israel in November, during which he became the highest-ranking American diplomat to visit an Israeli town in Judea and Samaria, and he announced that products from Judea and Samaria can be duly labeled “Made in Israel.” Last year, in a landmark announcement, Pompeo stated that the State Department does not deem Israeli towns in Judea and Samaria to be in violation of international law.
“The Trump administration’s decision to end the discriminatory practice of not labeling products produced in Judea and Samaria as having come from Israel is a groundbreaking policy change that further validates Israel’s position relative to this vital part of its ancestral homeland,” said NCYI President Farley Weiss. “By requiring goods made in Judea and Samaria to be marked ‘Made in Israel,’ the Trump administration is sending a clear message to the international community that ongoing attempts to delegitimize Israel’s presence there is at odds with United States foreign policy.”