JNS
A White House proclamation will allow specific quantities of designated agricultural products to enter the U.S. market without tariffs.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Dec. 29 extending duty-free access for certain Israeli agricultural products entering the United States through the end of 2026, continuing a long-standing bilateral trade agreement between the two allies.
The proclamation, titled “To Implement the United States-Israel Agreement on Trade in Agricultural Products and for Other Purposes,” updates the U.S. tariff schedule to carry out commitments under a 2004 agricultural trade agreement with Israel.
It allows specified quantities of “eligible agricultural products of Israel” to enter the U.S. market without tariffs from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31.
According to the proclamation, the step is a broader effort to modernize U.S.-Israel agricultural trade rules. The document notes that the two countries signed an agreement on Dec. 1, providing for “permanent modifications” to the 2004 accord, followed by a second agreement on Dec. 4 to temporarily extend existing terms while those changes are implemented.
Originally signed in 1985 under the wider U.S.-Israel Free Trade Area Agreement, the agricultural component has been renewed periodically since 2004, with duty-free access governed by annual quota levels set out in the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
In addition to the Israel-related provisions, the proclamation makes technical corrections to the tariff schedule that address outdated references and rules-of-origin provisions connected to other U.S. trade agreements, including one with Singapore.
The White House described these adjustments as administrative fixes rather than policy changes.
