Settlement wine gaffe leaves US embassy red-faced
Gift baskets sent by mission in Tel Aviv to celebrate Jewish New Year include cabernet produced in Mishor Adumim in West Bank
A well-meaning holiday gesture by the US embassy in Tel Aviv inadvertently signaled a message of diplomatic significance when the mission sent out gift baskets containing a bottle of wine from a West Bank settlement.
The festive packages were delivered to various Israeli organizations ahead of the Rosh Hashanah — Jewish New Year — which falls on October 2-4, Reuters reported on Monday.
However, nestled among the goodies was a bottle of kosher Cabernet Sauvignon from the Zion Winery located in Mishor Adumim, a settlement east of Jerusalem.
US policy is opposed to Jewish settlements in the West Bank and avoids any cooperation with the settlement program.
Among the non-government group presented with the good-will gift was the Peace Now organization that campaigns against the existence of West Bank settlements
“This should in no way be interpreted as a change of our policy on settlements, which is long-standing and clear,” an embassy official said and explained that the baskets were bought as completed packages from a vendor and were not reviewed before being sent out to recipients.
“I’m sure it was an honest mistake,” a Peace Now member said, according to the report, and noted that the organization does not intend to whine about it.