UAE to import settlement goods from Israel

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli companies at settlements built on occupied Palestinian lands will export goods to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to an Israeli daily.

"Settler companies that produce wine, tahini, olive oil, and honey have signed a deal with the Dubai distribution company FAM Holding to export their products to the United Arab Emirates," The Jerusalem Post reported, citing a council for Israeli settlements in northern West Bank.

Israeli settlement products are deemed illegal by resolutions of the Arab League.

Commenting on the deal which was signed in Dubai, Yossi Dagan, the head of the settlements council, said: "We are making history."

"The Samaria area that I represent is located in the Israeli state's heartland," Dagan said, referring to the occupied Palestinian lands in northern West Bank.

For his part, FAM Holding CEO Faisal Ali Mousa commented on the deal, saying: "This is a very big goal we have reached today."

On Sept. 15, the UAE and Bahrain signed two agreements for full normalization of relations with Israel in a move that sparked anger among Palestinians, who say the accords ignore their rights and do not serve the Palestinian cause.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat in Ankara