An employee sorts wine bottles as he works at Tura Winery in Rehelim, an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank
Credit: Reuters
Israel has begun exporting wine, olive oil and honey from West Bank settlements to the United Arab Emirates, a major deal secured by the Abraham Accords which has delighted Jewish expats but alarmed Palestinian leaders.
Tura Winery, in the Rehelim settlement, and Paradise Honey in Hermesh, have sent shipments to Emirati clients which they hope will quench a thirst in the Gulf state’s Jewish community for kosher wines.
It follows a historic normalisation treaty, the Abraham Accords, which was signed by the US, Israel, Bahrain and the UAE. The pact has set up full diplomatic ties and unlocked dozens of lucrative trade deals.
Though popular in the UAE, the goods are controversial as they were produced in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which the Palestinians claim as their own land. The settlements are regarded as illegal under international law by many countries, though Israel disputes this.
Britain has said it is “deeply concerned” about settlement expansion in the West Bank, while President Joe Biden has signalled that he will adopt a tougher stance on them than the Trump administration.
But an Emirati official told the Telegraph that it had no issue with the settlements, as they support Palestinians by offering job opportunities.
Wines from Israel have already seen strong demand in the UAE, with alcohol supplier MMI offering a line of whiskies produced in Tel Aviv called Milk and Honey.
Lindsay Trivers, a sommelier and founder of The Tasting Class in Dubai, said demand had significantly increased in the wake of the Abraham Accords.
“I was asked just yesterday, getting ready for a wine festival in March, to incorporate this [into tasting events],” she said.
“There are five labels here or on their way in so we are looking at desert-themed wine tasting and an ancient world wine lesson looking at the history and differences in styles.”
Labels, including the words, " Wine from the land of Israel", are seen on wine bottles at Tura Winery in Rehelim, an Israeli settlement
Credit: Reuters/Reuters
Vered Ben-Sa’adon, the owner of Tura Winery, which is sending "Made in Israel"-labelled bottles to the UAE, said Emiratis were curious to learn more about the settlements.
“It’s very exciting for [people in the UAE] to feel the peace process, to be a part of it,” she said in a recent interview with Reuters. “When you sit in a hotel in Abu Dhabi, and drink a glass of Tura, it’s to be a part of history."
The deal on settlements has alarmed Palestinian leaders, who vehemently condemned the Abraham Accords as a “stab in the back.” The Palestinian Authority says Arab states should not embrace Israel until the creation of a viable Palestinian state.
Ammar Hijazi, an assistant minister for foreign affairs at the Palestinian Authority, said they were considering international legal action over the deal.
"The bottom line is every product made in a settlement is stealing Palestinian resources," he said. "We will ensure these companies are held to account."
One Palestinian official said: "Allowing Arab brothers and sisters to consume goods produced on stolen land and resources- to consume Palestinian blood diamonds — is utterly immoral, illegal and a vindictive policy against world efforts to end Israel’s occupation, colonisation and annexation."
Shelves stacked with wine bottles are seen at a visitor's centre at Tura Winery
Credit: Reuters
The Telegraph approached UAE representatives in London for comment but did not receive a response.
However an Emirati official said, on condition of anonymity: “The UAE government always supports the Palestinian people and has always supported them, and always will.
“As such, the UAE government encourages purchase of products which come from companies and organisations that provide jobs and monetary support to Palestinian people regardless of the location of the factory."
Elie Abadie, senior rabbi of the Jewish Council of the Emirates, strongly rejected criticism of the settlement deal.
“The products of Judea and Samaria [West Bank] have given a better life for the Palestinians themselves as many of these industries employ Arab Palestinians,” he said
“Boycotting products from those areas will be hurting the Palestinians themselves, so why would the UAE boycott the goods of the occupied territories?" he asked.
"When you normalise with a country, it has to be an all or nothing process,” he added.
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