Congressman Peter Roskam (R-IL) on Wednesday sharply condemned the US State Department's statement the night before, which announced that the US will only defend Israel from boycotts targeting parts of the country within the 1949 Armistice lines.
Roskam is among those behind the anti-BDS amendment to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal which calls to defend Israel from the boycott in all "Israeli-controlled territories," which the State Department said "runs counter to longstanding US policy."
"The State Department's comments cast doubt on its true commitment to achieving a sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians through direct negotiations - which has been and remains US policy," argued Roskam. "Instead, by imposing territorial distinctions, (the) State is prejudging the outcome of the peace process."
The Congressman said of the amendment: "our language reflects the reality that those who seek to destroy the Jewish state through the BDS movement do not distinguish between Israel and its territories. These measures, which the Office of the US Trade Representative publicly supported before the Ways and Means Committee in April, were unanimously adopted in the House and Senate."
"We expect the Administration to fully comply with the provisions mandated by Congress and signed into law by President (Barack) Obama himself just a few days ago."
The anti-BDS amendment to the TPP aims to discourage European governments from boycotting against Israel by leveraging free trade with the US.
While Israel has yet to annex Judea and Samaria after liberating it from Jordan in the 1967 Six Day War, the 2012 Levy Report debunked false allegations that Israel's presence in the area is illegal according to international law.