Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich would reportedly discuss with officials how to “analyze opportunities and risks and formulate courses of action”.
US President Donald Trump’s latest tariff announcement could impact Israel’s exports of machinery and medical equipment, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing an Israeli finance ministry official.
The report noted that as part of a new tariff policy, “unspecified Israeli goods exports to the United States face a 17% tariff.”
Israel removed all tariffs on US goods yesterday.
Today, they were hit with a 17% reciprocal tariff.
White House Official: “Israel has long promised to lower its tariffs, and we’ve waited nearly 50 years for it to happen.” pic.twitter.com/JVKWruu8iY
— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) April 2, 2025
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich would reportedly discuss with officials how to “analyze opportunities and risks and formulate courses of action, both in relation to President Trump and his team and regarding the necessary steps to strengthen Israel’s industry”.
It said Israel, the largest single trading partner with the US, had already moved to cancel its remaining tariffs on US imports on Tuesday.
Free Trade Agreement
The countries signed a free trade agreement 40 years ago, with around 98 percent of goods from the US currently tax-free, the report said.
Tariff collection from US imports is mainly in the agricultural sector and stands at around 42 million shekels ($11.3 million) a year.
A Finance Ministry official speaking on condition of anonymity told Reuters that the 17 percent tariff on certain Israeli goods “was lower than those on many other countries,” with the figure derived from a calculation based on Israel’s $8 billion trade surplus with the US, in which Israeli goods exports to the US were some $17 billion in 2024.
Foreign Investment Concerns
It may likely “impact diamonds, machinery, electrical and medical equipment,” the official said.
Ron Tomer, president of Israel’s Manufacturers’ Association, told Reuters that the tariffs “could harm Israel’s economic stability, deter foreign investments, weaken the competitiveness of Israeli companies in the U.S. market, and set back trade and investment relations between the countries.”
Rock legend, Pink Floyd co-founder, and global justice activist Roger Waters has joined the FloodGate podcast for an in-depth conversation about Gaza, genocide, and global resistance. https://t.co/SFyLrQASXG pic.twitter.com/HNBWS0nu3S
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 4, 2025
Tomer hoped the decision would be short-lived, adding that the association would “work with the Ministries of Finance and Economy to reverse it.”
Ongoing Gaza Genocide
The renewed Israeli violence on March 18 has broken a ceasefire that began on January 19. The latest military actions have killed hundreds of Palestinians and injured many more, primarily civilians, including women and children.
While numerous countries and human rights groups have condemned the violations, the US has continued its support for Israel, asserting that the military campaign was carried out with prior knowledge and approval from Washington.
Today, they were hit with a 17% reciprocal tariff.
White House Official: “Israel has long promised to lower its tariffs, and we’ve waited nearly 50 years for it to happen.” pic.twitter.com/JVKWruu8iY
— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) April 2, 2025
Since October 2023, Israel has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and left Gaza in ruins.
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the enclave.
(PC, Reuters)
Trump accepted bribes from Zionists, Sheldon and Miriam Adelson. He was literally paid $millions to side with
” Israel ” . How is that not considered conflict of interest?? If Hamas paid him over $400 million he would dismantle the ZioNazis and fix Gaza. He, as well as all POTUS going back to Herbert Hoover, brought shame on America by his actions. He’s a direct threat to our national security.