BIS expands anti-Israel boycott requester list, adds 30 new companies

The US Bureau of Industry and Security (‘BIS’) has updated its list of foreign companies making boycott-related requests linked to the Arab League boycott of Israel, adding 30 new entities while removing 18 others that have pledged to cease such practices.

According to a BIS notice on 3 April, the expanded list includes companies from Kuwait, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates that have allegedly made boycott-related requests in transactions with US persons.

‘We will not tolerate boycotts of Israel in this Administration,’ Under Secretary for Industry and Security Jeffrey I Kessler said in the announcement.

Notable additions to the list include Kuwait Petroleum Company, Kuwait Investment Authority, Saudia Technic, Standard Chartered Bank in Pakistan, OHL Global Forwarding Qatar, British American Tobacco Bangladesh Company Ltd, and several Malaysian manufacturing firms.

The 18 companies removed from the list had certified they have stopped making boycott-related requests, including Aselsan Elektronik from Turkey, DSV Solutions operations in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, and Wistron Corporation from Taiwan.

The anti-boycott requester list, first introduced in March 2024, helps US businesses identify potential boycott-related conditions in their transactions that might trigger reporting requirements under US law. BIS noted that since the list’s creation, over 65 entities, ‘most from countries that support the Arab League boycott of Israel, have agreed to stop including boycott-related-terms in transactions with US persons.’

Under the Export Administration Regulations (‘EAR’), US persons are prohibited from taking certain actions ‘in furtherance or support of a boycott maintained by a foreign country against a country friendly to the United States.’

https://www.bis.gov/press-release/bis-updates-boycott-requester-list-8