“‘The land of Israel has been producing wines for 5,000 years’, said Norman Gladstone, Principal of International Cellars Inc. ‘In the last thirty years, the wine industry in Israel has adopted modern technology leading to higher quality wines which have burst onto the international scene. We are pleased and honoured to bring Israel’s top wineries to British Columbia.'”
With these words, the news release issued by the Canada-Israel Committee on Dec 20, 2007 announced the introduction of these wines to the Canadian province of B.C. This is an amazing rewrite of history since Israel did not exist 5000 years ago. Nothing new for the Zionist movement that distorts the modern history of Palestine and its people – a movement that raised the slogan 100 years ago “A land without a people for a people without a land”. I wonder how Mr. Gladstone can explain these 5,000 years of history in wine-making in this “land without a people”?
Following is a letter I sent to the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch regarding this matter and I encourage everyone to send letters of protest to the BCLDB at [email protected] .
Hanna Kawas
A Penny to the settlements is a Penny against Peace
Dec. 21, 2007
British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch
Dear Sir/Madam:
It recently came to our attention that you are going to carry wines from several Israeli wineries, from the Galil Mountain Winery, the Golan Heights Winery and Dalton Winery.
see: http://www.jewishindependent.ca/archives/Dec07/archives07Dec21-01.html
The Golan Heights Winery (of which the Galil Winery is a joint venture) produces wines from grapes grown on occupied Arab land and some of their wineries are located on occupied Syrian land in the Golan Heights. All of this is in direct contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention and stated Canadian laws http://www.dfait- maeci.gc.ca/middle_east/can_policy-en.asp#06 . To add insult to injury, you are displaying these products from occupied Arab territory under an Israeli banner, against all international norms and practices. There is a reason your suppliers insisted on having the Israeli banner used, an issue that has already caused problems for European liquor boards, particularly Sweden, and you may not be aware you are being used to advance an illegal occupation and annexation of the Golan Heights. The Israeli peace bloc Gush Shalom includes all the Golan Heights wines on their national boycott list of settlement products, under the heading “A Penny to the settlements is a Penny against Peace” http://gush-shalom.org.toibillboard.info/boycott_eng.htm .
Regrettably, your actions are rewarding Israeli occupation, ethnic cleansing and war crimes that are committed daily by the Israeli Government against the Palestinian and other Arab peoples. It is also offensive to people all over the world who are interested in peace with justice in the Middle East.
Please consider our request to immediately stop carrying these Israeli wines, and do not repeat your historic mistake when you carried wines from the South African Apartheid regime.
Awaiting your reply
Hanna Kawas,
Chairperson, Canada Palestine Association www.cpavancouver.org
Co-host, Voice of Palestine, Vancouver www.voiceofpalestine.ca
Cc : Boycott Israeli Apartheid Campaign,
Vancouver Campaign Against Israeli Aparthied (CAIA),
Victoria Campaign Against Israeli Aparthied (CAIA),
Toronto http://www.caiaweb.org/
Canadian Arab Federation www.caf.ca
Canadian Jewish Outlook http://www.vcn.bc.ca/outlool/
Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc) http://gush-shalom.org/
Stop War www.stopwar.ca
Jews for a Just Peace, Vancouver http://www.jewsforajustpeace.com/
Canada Palestine Support Network http://www.canpalnet.ca/