Located at Barkan Settlement on the West Bank, on land confiscated from the Palestinian village Burkin, the directors insisted, "We only care about the quality of our wines."
But when they entered a partnership with the Dutch Beer giant "Heineken", it turned out that Dutch people were unhappy with having a favorite beer involved with settlers. And "United Civilians for Peace" in Amsterdam were getting ready to launch a boycott.
The wineries started a slow motion process of moving to Hulda, within Israel's pre-1967 borders. Gush Shalom was approached by a woman "not connected with the company" who asked, "Why don't you leave Barkan Wines alone? They are not in the Territories any more." A casual check (that was 2004) found a bustling plant still in Barkan.
But now the Barkan Wineries have really stopped activity in Barkan and terminated lease on their premises. Their latest Report to Stockholders spoke about "problems connected with operating a winery beyond the Green Line (...) The location of the company's winery at the Barkan Area caused a negative image, and made difficult the exporting of the Barkan brands."
However, the Wineries still maintain a vineyard in another occupied territory -- the Golan Heights.
Gush Shalom expressed the hope that this last "stain on the image" be removed, as well.
Contact: info@gush-shalom.org / www.gush-shalom.org
The Other Israel, September-October issue
