Israel on Tuesday outlawed the import and sale of electronic cigarettes made by Silicon Valley startup Juul Labs, citing public health concerns over their nicotine content.
A statement by Israel's Health Ministry said the Juul e-cigarette, which entered the Israeli market in May, contains more than the European Union limit of 20 milligrams of nicotine per milliliter and poses "a grave risk to public health."
The Juul e-cigarette contains 59 milligrams of nicotine per milliliter of liquid, much higher than the 6-30 milligrams per milliliter in other e-cigarettes.
While Israel does not regulate the amount of nicotine in e-cigarettes, the ministry said its ban is consistent with similar restrictions in Europe.
The ban, which goes into effect on Sept.3, was signed by Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who holds the health portfolio.
Since launching in 2015, Juul's flash drive-sized vaping device and its flavor pods have transformed the market in the United States, where it now accounts for nearly 70% percent of tracked e-cigarette sales.
The company is valued at $15 billion.
In a statement Tuesday, Juul Labs said it was "incredibly disappointed" with what it called a "misguided" decision by the Israeli government.
The San Francisco-based company said it plans to appeal the ban before Israel's High Court of Justice, citing "selective enforcement."
The company maintains that its device provides smokers with "a true alternative to combustible cigarettes."
The company criticized the decision as a "dangerous move by the Health Ministry against the smoking public."
"Every Israeli has to think – why does the Health Ministry allow for the sale of cancerous cigarettes and tobacco products but is preventing the sale of an advanced product that has been proved to be a far less harmful alternative to tobacco," the company said.
A previous attempt to ban the sale of e-cigarettes in Israel was struck down by the High Court.
Juul says it targets adult smokers, but it has faced scrutiny over the popularity of its products with teenagers.
In April, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration launched a crackdown on the sale to minors of e-cigarettes and tobacco products, particularly those developed by Juul Labs.
