US Firm Fined for Abiding by Arab Boycott of Israel

US Firm Fined for Abiding by Arab Boycott of Israel

~By Michael Freund The Jerusalem Post, May 21, 2007
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellit.....2FShowFull

The US Department of Commerce has imposed a civil penalty on an American
firm for violating legal restrictions against complying with the Arab
boycott of Israel.

The firm, Cooper Tools Industrial Ltd. - a wholly-owned Brazilian subsidiary
of Delaware-based Cooper US, Inc. - was ordered to pay $27,000 in fines last
week after company officials allegedly "furnished 15 items of prohibited
information about business relationships with Israel to persons in Kuwait
and the United Arab Emirates," a Department of Commerce statement said.

US law bars firms from providing information for the purpose of compliance
with boycott-related requests. Arab states that enforce the boycott
frequently ask companies to certify that their products were not
manufactured in Israel and do not contain Israeli-made components. In
addition, companies are often
asked to attest that they do not do business with the Jewish state.

The penalty was imposed on Cooper Tools after the company consented to
settle charges made against it by the Commerce Department's Bureau of
Industry and Security (BIS), whose Office of Anti-boycott Compliance
oversees enforcement of US anti-boycott regulations.

"The Department of Commerce stands firm in its policy of opposing
restrictive trade practices or boycotts against Israel, and will vigorously
pursue those who violate the anti-boycott regulations," said Assistant US
Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement Darryl W. Jackson.

The company was reported to have voluntarily disclosed the transactions to
federal officials and was said to have cooperated fully with the subsequent
investigation.