Israel ended certain tariffs on goods made in the United States ahead of President Donald Trump launching reciprocal tariffs across the world. The Tuesday directive from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made clear that all remaining tariffs on American items would be immediately nixed,

The move was an apparent bid to ensure that Israel is exempt from new tariffs that President Trump plans to announce on Wednesday.

A few hours before President Donald Trump slapped huge new tariffs on nearly all imports to the United States, Israel preemptively dropped all its tariffs on American goods. That's what some of Trump's defenders say is the goal of this whole madcap scheme: to get foreign countries to lower their barriers to American exports.