Israel losing hold over US policy makers: Analyst

The US backing of a decision made by the European Union to label goods from the illegal Israeli settlements shows Israel is losing its hold over US policy makers, says an American political analyst and activist.

Myles Hoenig made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Friday, a day after the US State Department said it doesn't consider the new EU rule banning "Made in Israel" tags on goods produced in the occupied West Bank as a boycott of the Zionist regime.

The European Commission has adopted new guidelines on labeling of products from the settlements illegally constructed by Israel on the occupied Palestinian territories.  

The European Commission "adopted this morning the Interpretative Notice on indication of origin of goods from the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967," Reuters quoted an EU official as saying on Wednesday.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry called the labeling “a politically motivated and unusual and discriminatory step, that [the European Union] learned from the world of boycotts,” referring to the international movement of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel, known as BDS.

Hoenig said that “the American Jewish population has enormous sway over US foreign policy vis a vis Israel and Palestine.  What we are seeing more recently is a sea change of opinion. With a growing movement within this community for a more balanced approach, we are seeing a stronger level of support for BDS among the Jewish community.”

“It is unusual for the US State Department to not be so adamantly supportive of Israel on the issue of settlement product identification.  Although the US has always viewed the settlements as illegal, it has never vocally opposed them nor acted in any oppositional manner at the UN,” he stated.

“This action recognizes that Israel is losing its hold over US policy makers, as our relations in the Middle East are deteriorating quite rapidly,” the analyst noted.

“In order to regain an upper hand, the US is apparently showing some support for the Palestinian people, as indirectly as they can by supporting the labeling of settlement products,” Hoenig concluded.

The BDS boycott campaign against Israel over its apartheid policies toward the Palestinians has gained momentum globally in recent years.

The BDS movement seeks to end the Israeli occupation and colonization of Palestinian lands and respect the right of return of Palestinian refugees.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his subordinates have called the BDS campaign a new form of terrorism to delegitimize Israel.

Supporters of the movement, including a growing number of American Jews, have called such criticism a fearmongering and divisive tactic meant to prevent legitimate debate about the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.

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