Land of wine and honey? Israeli settlers export to UAE, to Palestinian chagrin | Reuters
Wine produced in an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank and labelled “from the land of Israel” will soon be available for sale in the United Arab Emirates, settler business leaders said.
Palestinians have condemned the export deal, saying settlements are illegal under international law, a view shared by many countries but disputed by Israel.
After forging official relations with the UAE last year under a U.S.-brokered deal that enraged Palestinians, a business conglomerate in the Arab Gulf state says it has an import deal for wine and olive oil with the Tura Winery in the Rehelim settlement.
The winery’s owner, Vered Ben-Sa’adon, told Reuters the exports showed that new Israel-UAE ties also extended to settlements, on West Bank land captured in a 1967 war and that Palestinians seek for a state.
“It’s very exciting for (people in the UAE) to feel the peace process, to be a part of it. When you sit in a hotel in Abu Dhabi, and drink a glass of Tura (wine), it’s to be a part of history,” said Ben-Sa’adon, 44.
No comments:
Post a Comment