Article by Adam Kredo in "The Washington Free Beacon":
Leading lawmakers in Congress are warning the European Union that
issuing a mandate that Jewish products made in contested areas of Israel
carry consumer warning labels could trigger American anti-boycott laws
and jeopardize U.S. trade with Europe.
The European Court of Justice (CJEU) is expected to issue an opinion this week on a long-running case
brought by an Israeli winery challenging a requirement that
Israeli-made products be labeled as coming from "settlements" and
"Israeli colonies."
The decision is expected to be issued early Tuesday and follows a
recent opinion by the E.U. court's advocate general stipulating that
European law requires these Jewish-made products to be labeled. Critics
said the law is reminiscent of Nazi-era boycotts of Jewish products and
have viewed such requirements as a win for the anti-Semitic Boycott,
Divestment, and Sanctions movement, or BDS.
Ahead of the decision, Senator Bob Menendez (D., N.J.) petitioned
E.U. ambassador to the United States Stavros Lambrinidis to raise
concerns about a potential ruling in favor of the warning labels and
said it could create policy tension with the United States.
Senators Benjamin Cardin (D., Md.) and Rob Portman (R., Ohio) sent a similar letter
to U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer expressing concerns that
the ruling holds Israel to a standard no other country is subjected to.
Rep. Juan Vargas (D., Calif.) sent a letter to U.S. ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland warning that the ruling would lead to discrimination against Israel.
The lawmakers also said such a ruling could trigger multiple U.S.
anti-boycott laws and damage the nearly $1.3 trillion in trade between
America and the E.U.
"The regulation in question is problematic for a number of reasons,
including because it targets specific businesses based on the ethnicity
and national origin of their owners," Menendez wrote in the letter he
sent to Lambrinidis.
Menendez described the pro-BDS effort as an act of discrimination
against Israel and Jews and said the ruling could open a "Pandora's Box"
of labeling litigation.
"I am deeply concerned that if the CJEU decision empowers the EU to
require or allow its Member States to label Israeli and Palestinian
products in the manner proposed, it will allow and encourage the
politicization of EU rules of origin labeling with potential adverse
unintended consequences, including by opening the door to near-unlimited
use of ‘ethical considerations' in food labeling which would enable
Member State protectionism and nationalism, and be unhelpful for the EU
single market," Menendez wrote.
"Additionally, it could facilitate Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
(BDS) tactics and de facto boycotts and discrimination against Israel,
and its products, and potentially lead to discrimination on the basis of
ethnicity, religion and nationality, contrary to existing EU policies
and laws against BDS campaigns, Israel boycotts and discrimination," the
letter states.
The lawmakers warn that if American anti-boycott laws are triggered
by the decision, it will elevate tensions between the United States and
E.U.
"If these unfair requirements are mandated or allowed by the CJEU,
European countries would be forced to choose whether to single out the
world's only Jewish state for distinct, defamatory treatment, and
thereby create policy tensions with the United States, or to continue to
delay implementation while finding an appropriate approach," Menendez
wrote in a letter that strikes a similar tone to the other congressional
missives.
A decision mandating the labeling of Jewish goods also would be seen
as an effort by the E.U. to interfere in Israeli-Palestinian peace
talks.
"The U.S. Federal Government and many U.S. states have enacted strong
anti-boycott provisions that impose severe penalties and restrictions
on companies that participate in boycotts or other economic pressure
campaigns against Israel," Menendez wrote. "If the CJEU decision
empowers the EU to mandate or allow Member States to implement such
labels which target Israeli businesses and exports there will be serious
and far-reaching implications and unintended consequences."
https://freebeacon.com/national-security/congress-warns-e-u-against-warning-labels-for-jewish-made-products/
The morning after "Krystallnacht" by the Nazi thugs against the Jewish stores...
