The US House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday that designates products from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as originating from “Israel”.

This bill, titled the “Anti-BDS Labeling Act,” solidifies a Trump-era policy that critics argue undermines Palestinians’ UN-recognised territorial claims and champions Israel’s annexation efforts while directly targeting the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, sending a clear message against those advocating for Palestinian human rights.

The bill, sponsored by Republican Congresswoman Claudia Tenney of New York, passed with a vote of 231 to 189 and received support from 16 Democrats, including some of the party’s most pro-Israel members. It mandates that products from the occupied West Bank and Gaza no longer be labelled together but separately, effectively erasing the recognition of their unified identity. Products would read either “West Bank” or “Gaza” rather than “West Bank and Gaza”.

    • Shdwdrgn@mander.xyz
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      2 months ago

      Further, the bill prohibits the use of any funds made available to the Department of State or to U.S. Customs and Border Protection to rescind or change this policy.

      Let’s just limit who can fight this bill while we’re at it…

  • hitmyspot
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    2 months ago

    Doesn’t this just mean if someone wants to boycott products from this area, they would need to boycott all Israeli products?

    Boycotts work. Sodastream cleaned up its act.