Israel Eliminates All Tariffs on U.S. Imports Ahead of \u2018Liberation Day\u2019<\/a>
Israel has announced the removal of all remaining tariffs on imports from the United States, effective immediately. This decision, directed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and implemented by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat, aims to strengthen economic ties with the U.S. and potentially reduce the cost of living in Israel.<\/p>\nThe Prime Minister\u2019s Office, Finance Ministry and Economy and Industry Ministry released a joint statement, saying:<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the directive of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat, Israel has cancelled all of the customs duties that have been levied until now on products from the US, Israel\u2019s largest trading partner.<\/em><\/p>\nAfter the approval of the Knesset Finance Committee and the Economy and Industry Minister\u2019s signature on the order, the amendment to the order regarding trade levies and protective measure will take effect and customs duties on all imports from the US will be cancelled.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nThe U.S. and Israel have maintained a free trade agreement since 1985, resulting in approximately 99% of U.S. goods entering Israel tariff-free. The newly eliminated tariffs primarily affected a limited number of products, mainly in the food and agricultural sectors. In 2024, Israel\u2019s exports to the U.S. totaled $17.3 billion, with services exports estimated at $16.7 billion.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized that removing these tariffs aligns with his longstanding policy of opening Israel\u2019s market to competition, diversifying the economy, and lowering living costs. He highlighted that this move not only benefits the Israeli economy and its citizens but also reinforces the special relationship between Israel and the United States.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Huh. How reasonable, helpful, and downright democratic<\/em>\u00a0of the hook-nosed Kike, eh?<\/p>\nAlthough Israel and the US have had and always will have their differences, squabbles, and divergences of national interest and\/or policy\u2014remember, nation-states don\u2019t have friends<\/em>, they have alliances<\/em>, which are constantly shifting and evolving\u2014the above-referenced \u201cspecial relationship\u201d is of tremendous benefit to both countries, in all sorts of ways. None but a fool, an infantile political naif<\/em>, or a fanatical Jew-hating ignoramus would ever dream of contending otherwise.<\/p>\nYou might not care much for Jews, even actively dislike them, which is jake with me. Certainly, the hardships, persecution, and ceaseless hostility Jews have faced across well over three millennia have inculcated and intensified a fair few unappealing habits of mind and personality traits in the Jewish people\u2014a suffocating, quasi-pathological (albeit understandable, given the historical record) paranoia beng but one of those.<\/p>\n
Growing up in the small-town South of the 1960s, my own experience of Jewish people was quite limited, to put it mildly. Until I moved to NYC, I had known precisely one (1) Jewish person my whole life:\u00a0a downtown-Mt Holly clothing store owner and proprietor name of Julius Goldstein, who was a lovely, gracious, warm-hearted man. Mr Goldstein always had a moment to spare for a kindly, gentle word with a stone-bored young \u2018un chafing to be anyplace but trapped in Goldstein’s establishment while my mom browsed through the dresses, blouses, hats, shoes, and such-like rubbish.<\/p>\n
What with this bestowal of attention and sincere affection, plus a pocket full of those wonderful old Dum-Dum lollipops<\/a> in assorted flavors (BUTTERSCOTCH! YESSSS!!!), dear old Mr Goldstein made what would have been an ordeal comparable to a trip to the dentist at least something close to bearable, bless his generous heart.<\/p>\nYears later in NYC I worked for an Israeli Jew who, although I hugely enjoyed wasting half my shift sitting by the front counter soaking up Jack\u2019s colorful (crimson, mainly) reminiscences of his years of wartime soldiering with the IDF back in the Bad Old 1970s Days of nearly continual combat with various Arab states*, before he made the big move to Jew York Shitty (heh, sorry), was clearly and unapologetically an asshole stem to stern. After a few months of that I became friends with a smattering of other Jews my own age over my five-year stint in the Big Rotten Apple; these ones ran the gamut from friendly, personable young men and (mostly, who knows why) women to complete and utter pricks and\/or cunts, same as with every other nationality or ethnicity I\u2019ve ever spent any time around.<\/p>\n
So yeah, go right ahead and hate on the Jews if you want; although I neither share nor much respect your blanket antipathy, I\u2019m pretty much the last guy on Earth who\u2019s likely to give you a ration of shit about it. Right up to the point, that is, where you start in trying to persuade me that our \u201cnatural allies\u201d in the Middle East are actually the murderin\u2019 Moslem savages and their godawful shitrapies. I don\u2019t hold with that horsepuckey, not even a weency bit I don\u2019t, and I never will.<\/p>\n
See, I still remember the ghastly mid-morning hours of 9\/11\/01 MUCH<\/em>\u00a0too vividly to ever just sit back and passively listen to Word One of that noisome, toxic guff without positioning the battle-rifle for imminent action; checking my backstop; confirming I have a good, solid cheek-weld; chambering that all-important first round; and returning fire just as fast \u2019n’ furious as I can possibly manage, sorry.<\/p>\nSending hot lead downrange in mass quantities: ain\u2019t nothing like it but more of it. Ya feelin\u2019 me here, bubba?<\/p>\n