3 December 2013

The Occupied Syrian Golan is a rich volcanic plateau with extremely fertile soil. The region is home to a huge variety of valuable natural resources, making it an ideal location for settlements and settlement industries. Since the occupation began, the Israeli authorities have aimed to implement policies which control the valuable resources in the region, in particular the land and the water. In recent times, this has manifested itself through Israel’s encouragement of the establishment of industries and businesses in the region, which exploit these natural resources for commercial gain.

Today, the economy in the Occupied Syrian Golan is dominated by settlers whose products – such as beef, cherries, apples, wine and mineral water – provide for a significant proportion of Israel’s needs. Approximately 20% of the Occupied Syrian Golan’s settlement produce is exported to twenty different countries, including Canada, Australia and the United States and several in Europe

The following document provides a breakdown of the EU's guidelines regarding the labelling of such products from illegal Israeli settlements:  Position Paper - EU's guidelines on labelling of settlements products