Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced new guidelines Thursday that require goods made in Israeli settlements where its military has authority to be labeled as “Made in Israel,” according to a report.
Pompeo made the announcement while traveling to Israel to visit its settlement of Psagot in the West Bank, The Hill reported. Pompeo reportedly said the change in policy only applies to Israeli settlements “where Israel exercises the relevant authorities” such as Area C of the West Bank, where Israeli military forces are granted control by the 1993 Oslo Accords. Products in these settlements will now reportedly be labeled “Israel,” “Product of Israel,” or “Made in Israel.” (RELATED: US, Israel Tracked And Assassinated Al-Qaida’s Second-In-Command)
“Thank you @SecPompeo for your tremendous friendship and for your invaluable contribution to our alliance and to Israel’s security and to the expansion of the circle of peace,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted. “Thank you friend and we hope to see you next year in Jerusalem.”
PM Netanyahu: “Thank you @SecPompeo for your tremendous friendship and for your invaluable contribution to our alliance and to Israel’s security and to the expansion of the circle of peace. Thank you friend and we hope to see you next year in Jerusalem”. pic.twitter.com/sQqJMvap8p
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) November 19, 2020
The guidelines also require goods made in Israeli settlements controlled by the Palestinian Authority to be labeled as products of the “West Bank,” Pompeo reportedly said. Goods made in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas, will be required to be labeled as “Gaza,” reported The Hill. Previously, goods produced in these two settlements were jointly labeled “West Bank/Gaza”. (RELATED: Israel Unveils Surveillance System To Track Masks, Social Distancing)
“Under the new approach, we will no longer accept ‘West Bank/Gaza’ or similar markings, in recognition that Gaza and the West Bank are politically and administratively separate and should be treated accordingly,” Pompeo reportedly said.
Pompeo is the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit an Israeli settlement, according to NBC.