Blocking boycott terror
Blocking boycott terrorYesha Council

Minister of Economics and Industry Eli Cohen (Kulanu) visited the Psagot winery in the Binyamin region on Sunday morning, accompanied by the Chairman of the Yesha Council, Avi Roeh.

The visit took place against the backdrop of the directive of the Food Inspection Agency in Canada to stop importing and selling wine produced by Israeli companies in Judea and Samaria. The move was foiled by diplomatic activity led by government ministries in Jerusalem.

Cohen's visit began at a lookout point in the winery onto the Binyamin area, and continued through the winery, where the Minister saw the process of wine production. In the barrel cellar of the winery, Cohen was given a special coin from 67 CE with the inscription "For the freedom of Israel."

"This is a special coin because we found it right here," said Psagot Winery CEO Jacob Berg. "This is our connection to Israel, because they, the Canadians, said we are not in Israel. So here is our connection."

Minister Cohen said, "The boycott on products from Judea and Samaria hurts chances of peace and coexistence in the region. I am glad that the mistake has been corrected and Canadian citizens will be able to taste the special flavor of Israeli wine in general, and that of Judea and Samaria in particular, which continues the tradition of thousands of years of wine production by Jews in the region."

"I would like to thank all the government representatives who knew how to use wisdom and discretion so that this economic region would continue to flourish. I would like to thank the Yesha Council, which worked to deal with things when they were still in their initial stages. The Israeli economy is strong, vibrant and connected to our historical roots. Besides, whoever deals in boycotts will only harm the Palestinian population [employed by local industry]," Cohen warned.

Chairman of the Yesha Council and Chairman of the Binyamin Regional Council, Avi Roeh, said, "We are pleased to host Minister Eli Cohen so shortly after the announcement of the boycott cancellation in Canada on Thursday. We have seen terror and boycott, but our view is very positive. So we congratulate the Minister and all the parties who acted immediately to cancel this decision, and congratulate the entrepreneurs who are grappling with these difficulties heroically. "

CEO of the Yesha Council Shiloh Adler added, "I would like to thank our partners - the Ministry of Economics, which led this effort along with the Ministry of Strategic Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Together they struck a blow to the boycott terror that is directed against the State of Israel."

“The fact that we are here is the best proof of the work that government offices are doing in the struggle against the boycott of the State of Israel.”