Honda, Japan’s second-largest automobile maker, has signaled an end to its compliance with the Arab League boycott of Israel.
The parent company in Tokyo announced Thursday it would guarantee to supply spare parts in Israel for Honda cars assembled at the Ohio plant of the Honda of America Co., the U.S. subsidiary of the Japanese firm.
The cars made in Ohio are expected to go on sale in Israel beginning next summer.
At least 25 percent of the parts come from Japan, where Honda has heeded the Arab boycott for years.
Although Honda of America guaranteed the parts when the export deal was concluded several months ago, the Israeli Foreign Ministry insisted on a public statement from Honda headquarters in Tokyo as a condition for importing the cars into Israel.
Four smaller Japanese auto manufacturers have been selling cars in Israel for several years.
They are Mitsubishi, Subaru, Daihatsu and Suzuki.
But the Toyota Motor Co., Japan’s largest, still does not do business with Israel.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
