House Passes Bill to Maintain Israel, West Bank, Gaza Labeling Requirements

The U.S. Capitol building on Sept. 16, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

The House passed a bill on Sept. 18 that would codify into law a Trump-era regulation for labeling products made in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.

The Anti-BDS Labeling Act, which was introduced by Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), passed 231–189. All 215 Republicans, along with 16 Democrats, voted in favor of the measure, and 189 Democrats voted against it.

The regulation, which was finalized in 2020 and took effect in 2021, requires products produced in Gaza to be labeled “Gaza,” “Product of Gaza,” “Made in Gaza,” “Gaza Strip,” “Product of Gaza Strip,” or “Made in Gaza Strip.”

Items made in Israel must be labeled “Israel,” “Product of Israel,” or “Made in Israel.” Products made in the West Bank must be labeled “West Bank,” “Product of West Bank,” or “Made in West Bank.”

A point of contention ahead of the vote was over products made in the area of the West Bank called Area C, which the bill required to be labeled as coming from Israel.

Critics say that Israel is occupying the West Bank, which belonged to Jordan until Israel won it in the 1967 Six-Day War, which included taking East Jerusalem and therefore controlling the entire capital. Jordan formally relinquished control of the West Bank in 1988.

Ownership of the West Bank has since been disputed, with there being Israeli (Area C) and Palestinian (Areas A and B) neighborhoods.

The Biden administration has said that Israeli settlements in the West Bank, also known as Judea and Samaria, are “an obstacle to the achievement of a two-state solution.” In February, the administration reversed the Trump administration’s policy that stated otherwise.

The bill comes a month before the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by the Hamas terrorist group, which controls Gaza. It was the deadliest single-day anti-Semitic attack since the Holocaust.

“American families should have this information in order to buy products that support Israel’s economy—particularly in a time of war. Conversely, people should know if an item comes from a region controlled by terrorists that kidnapped and killed their fellow Americans,” House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) said on the House floor ahead of the vote.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) spoke out against the bill, which she said “is erasing the existence of Palestinians.”

“The provisions of this bill, Mr. Speaker, [have] hateful and discriminatory implications,” she said on the House floor prior to the vote.

The White House has not taken a stance on the bill. The Epoch Times reached out to the White House for comment but didn’t receive a reply by publication time.

BDS stands for “boycott, divestment, and sanctions,” a roughly two-decade-old movement against Israel. According to its website, BDS “is a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality” and “upholds the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity.”

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) considers BDS to be anti-Semitic, according to the ADL website.

The movement, the ADL states, “is an international campaign aimed at delegitimizing and pressuring Israel, through the diplomatic, financial, professional, academic and cultural isolation of Israel, Israeli individuals, Israeli institutions, and, increasingly, Jews who support Israel’s right to exist.”

Celebrating the House vote, Tenney said in a Sept. 18 statement that the bill is necessary because “there has been a marked rise in both anti-Semitic rhetoric and violence, along with increased support for the discriminatory BDS movement.”

“The Anti-BDS Labeling Act legislation codifies a rule that has been in place for nearly four years, ensuring that goods produced in Israel are accurately labeled, reaffirming the United States’ commitment to Israel, its closest ally, by supporting its economy and demonstrating continued support for Israeli businesses,” Tenney said.