UAE signed settlement deals before normalisation

UAE companies signed deals to buy products from illegal Israeli settlements even before the normalisation agreement was announced, the Jerusalem Post revealed on Tuesday. The details emerged in a story about a new deal signed with Dubai-based FAM Holding to export products from Israeli settlements built on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.

The products from the settlements included in the deal are wine, tahina, olive oil and honey. According to the Post, the deal was announced on Monday by the Samaria Regional Council which represents Jewish settlements in the north of the occupied West Bank. “Samaria” is what Zionists call part of the occupied West Bank.

The head of the council, right-wing settler Yossi Dagan, led the first Israeli municipal delegation to the UAE. He is reported to have returned this week with company representatives so that they could sign the agreements.

“This morning we are making history,” said Dagan during a ceremony in the UAE. “We are opening a new economic page between the best companies in Samaria [sic] and FAM. I am very excited and happy with their standing.”

READ: Israel legitimises settlement outposts and thus proceeds with silent annexation 

He also told FAM Holding CEO Faisal Ali Mousa that he hopes they “will always be friends on a personal and business level, like a family.”

In reply, Mousa said: “We are very happy to have you all here.” He noted that he could never imagine or dream that such thing would ever happen “This is a very big goal we have reached today.” He revealed that his company is currently in talks with other Israeli companies and is excited to sign deals to expand business cooperation between the two countries.

“We are telling the world, not only the Emirates and Israel, that we are real business people,” added Mousa. “We are real brothers. We are real friends. We are going to do business together and we want to live in peace. I want to thank Yossi Dagan for opening the door for us.”