The Obama administration supports new EU guidelines that require member states to stop carrying the “Made in Israel” label for products made in Judea and Samaria. Photo: Matt H. Wade / WikiCommons.

JNS.org – The Obama administration expressed support for the new European Union guidelines requiring member states to stop carrying the “Made in Israel” label for products made in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, eastern Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights.

“We do not believe that labeling the origin of products is equivalent to a boycott,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said. “And as you know, we do not consider settlements to be part of Israel. We do not view labeling the origin of products as being from the settlements as a boycott of Israel.”

Toner described the EU’s move as “technical guidelines” that would help European consumers understand the origin of products.

“Consumers will then be aware of the origin of a product when purchasing it, as they are made aware for products across the globe,” he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has harshly criticized the EU’s labeling initiative, saying that the decision is “hypocritical and constitutes a double standard.”