Saudi Ambassador to U.S. Admits Boycott of Israel Still in Force
The Jerusalem Post reports that Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the U.S. recently acknowledged for the first time that Saudi Arabia continues to enforce the primary boycott of Israel. According to the Post, during a question and answer session following a "policy lunch" organized by the Brookings Institution, Saudi Ambassador Prince Turki al-Faisal was asked to describe the steps taken by the Saudi government to dismantle its boycott of Israel. "According to a transcript obtained by the Post, the ambassador responded by saying that his government had informed American officials, 'that we have removed the secondary and tertiary boycotts' of Israel, which prohibit trade with companies that operate in Israel or have ties to such firms" but "the primary boycott is an issue of national sovereignty guaranteed within the makeup of the WTO and its rules." The Jerusalem Post also reports that Ambassador al-Faisal said at the program that "he had personally informed American officials of the Saudi intention to maintain the primary boycott of Israel."
As the Post article correctly notes, the admission that Saudi Arabia continues to enforce the primary boycott of Israel contradicts Saudi Arabia's previous pledge to the U.S. made during the bilateral negotiations on issues related to Saudi Arabia's World Trade Organization (WTO) accession. For example, former U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Rob Portman advised the House Ways and Means Committee in February that the boycott issue was a "big concern" because WTO rules require Saudi Arabia to provide nondiscriminatory treatment for all WTO members, including Israel. Portman said that "we have raised this with officials there in Saudi Arabia. We've received assurances from Saudi Arabia. They will abide by their WTO commitments." Similarly, during her confirmation, USTR Susan Schwab told the Senate Finance Committee that Saudi Arabia "was abiding by its pledge to end the boycott" of Israel.
As the Post article correctly notes, the admission that Saudi Arabia continues to enforce the primary boycott of Israel contradicts Saudi Arabia's previous pledge to the U.S. made during the bilateral negotiations on issues related to Saudi Arabia's World Trade Organization (WTO) accession. For example, former U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Rob Portman advised the House Ways and Means Committee in February that the boycott issue was a "big concern" because WTO rules require Saudi Arabia to provide nondiscriminatory treatment for all WTO members, including Israel. Portman said that "we have raised this with officials there in Saudi Arabia. We've received assurances from Saudi Arabia. They will abide by their WTO commitments." Similarly, during her confirmation, USTR Susan Schwab told the Senate Finance Committee that Saudi Arabia "was abiding by its pledge to end the boycott" of Israel.
Labels: Boycotts
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