European imports sustain Israeli settlements: Report

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European imports sustain Israeli settlements: Report

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European imports from the Jordan valley and the dead sea are sustaining illegal Israeli settlements.

03 November,2012 08:30 pm

Thats according to a recently published report by twenty two international NGOs operating in the occupied Palestinian territories.The bulk of exports from illegal Israeli settlements come from the Jordan Valley and the dead sea. EU imports of Israeli settlement products are estimated at 230 million euros a year.Titled Trading away peace, the report accuses EU policy of being contradictory by supporting Palestinian state building efforts, while at the same time failing to exclude Israeli settlements from EUs programs with Israel.Trading away peace says that EU public funds for research and development are being channeled directly to support activities in settlements. And that is a violation of international laws and is inconsistent with EU obligations which are not to recognize, assist or aid settlements. The EU the report goes: has a duty to oppose settlements instead of trading with them.Israeli Date farms on an industrial scale fill the Jordan valley, Israel affords these farms subsidies, access to water and land and European markets are wide open to them. 80 % of settlement dates production in the Jordan valley end up on supermarket shelves in Europe.In contrast Palestinian Dates production is a tiny fraction of that of Israeli settlements in the Jordan Valley. This Palestinian date farm has a demolition order on one of its reservoirs and faces restrictions on building warehouses. Such restrictions are only brought on Palestinian farms, not Israeli ones, contest Palestinian farmers.In addition to dates, Trading away Peace says that Israeli settlements in the Jordan Valley profit from exports of grapes, herbs and pepper(s) to Europe. This profit comes on the backdrop of shrinking Palestinian presence in the valley because of Israeli restrictions on access to water and land. Statistics say settlers account for 13% of the population of the Jordan Valley but control 86% of its land.