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Israel

Cheers! Why some Israeli farmers are raising their glasses to the boycotters

May 5, 2016 11:26
Workers collecting grapes on Kibbutz Tzuba, west of Jerusalem

By

Shira Rubin,

Shira Rubin

3 min read

When the European Union issued guidelines on labelling products from West Bank settlements last November, the winemakers at Shilo Wineries lost almost all of their European clients.

"Many businesses here stopped production to see what the impact of the law would be, but I wasn't worried for a moment. Jews have been in Judea and Samaria for thousands of years, and now we're here to stay," said Shilo employee Amichai Lourie.

"I can say that in some ways, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) has done a lot of damage, but in other ways, it turned out even better."

With Passover sales this month, Mr Lourie estimates that the winery has recouped its losses and is on the way to making a profit. This was made possible by a strategic shift away from European markets and a decision to emphasise its West Bank location as a selling point rather than hide it as a mark of shame.