UAE to export Israeli settler olive oil, wines after companies strike deal

The settler-led Samaria council said the deals are the first to be organised between the UAE and an Israeli municipality.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab Staff

08 December, 2020

Settler-produced olive oils and wines will be exported under the deal [Getty/ Archive]

A Dubai distribution company has inked a deal with Israeli settler-owned companies for the export and distribution of goods produced on illegally occupied Palestinian land, the Samaria Regional Council said on Monday.

The deal between Dubai-based firm FAM Holding and the Israeli companies is the first of its kind for the export of settler produce to the United Arab Emirates. The settler-led Samaria council said the deals are also the first to be organised between the UAE and an Israeli municipality.

“This morning we are making history,” Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan was quoted as saying by The Jerusalem Post at FAM's office.

“We are opening a new economic page between the best companies in Samaria and FAM. I am very excited and happy with their standing,” he added.

FAM Holding CEO Dr. Faisal Ali Mousa was also present at the event and thanked Dagan for "opening the door for us".

Right-wing settler leader Dagan led a delegation of Israeli settlers to the UAE last month ahead of the deal, returning to Israel only this week to finalise the agreements.

Among the goods to be exported under the deal are wines and olive oils produced on occupied Palestinian land.

Israeli firms have rushed to secure lucrative business in the UAE following the two states' normalising of relations in September.

Bahrain, which also formalised ties with Israel in a US-brokered deal, allegedly angered its new ally earlier this week when reports emerged that Manama had backed away from plans to import products from Israeli settlements.

The Gulf state had issued a swift statement clarifying remarks made by its minister of trade, who said Manama would be open to sourcing products made in illegal Israeli settlements located in occupied Palestinian territory.

Israel has occupied the West Bank illegally since 1967, and commits various abuses against Palestinian civilians, human rights groups say.

More than 600,000 Israeli Jews live in settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, in constructions considered illegal under international law.

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