From his perch on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., brought out a resolution opposing the European Commission’s recommendations on how Israeli products are labeled in European Union (EU) nations. Rubio is currently running for the Republican presidential nomination.
Rubio paired up with U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oreg., to introduce the resolution on Wednesday. The resolution opposes efforts to label Israeli products made in the West Bank and other disputed areas which are gaining steam in Europe.
“Actions such as the recently imposed European Commission labeling guidelines that single out Israeli products manufactured in the West Bank and other areas only advance the objectives of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement,” Rubio said. “This boycotting of the sole democratic free market economy in the Middle East is politically motivated and represents a concerted effort to extract one-sided concessions from Israel.
“The European Commission’s practice of singling out only Israel shows a misunderstanding of the true dynamic Israel faces in the region,” Rubio continued. “Goods made in the areas affected by this decision - such as the Golan, Judea and Samaria, and other areas - benefit not only Israelis but also many Palestinians who are employed by Israeli companies.
“In recent days, the European Union reiterated its offensive position regarding labeling after a weekend in which Palestinian attacks on innocent Israelis continued,” Rubio added. “Pressuring Israel and standing by while the Palestinian leadership continues its campaign of incitement and obstruction of peace will not benefit either side and undermines the safety and security of our ally Israel.”
The Obama administration took some exception with Rubio and other critics of the labeling efforts earlier this week.
"We do not view labeling the origin of products as being from the settlements a boycott of Israel," John Kirby, a spokesman for the State Department, told the media this week. “We also do not believe that labeling the origin of products is equivalent to a boycott.”
Despite the White House’s position, U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey, D-NY, brought out a similar resolution to Rubio’s and Wyden’s last month with U.S. Reps. Eliot Engel, D-NY, Peter Roskam, R-Ill., and Ed Royce, R-Calif., as original co-sponsors. Two Florida Democrats are also co-sponsoring the bill: U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, the ranking Democrat on the House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, and U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
