Israelis prefer products from Judea and Samaria

[kahaneloyalist]

http://www.hakolhayehudi.com/israelis-prefer-products-from-judea-and-samaria-due-to-the-boycott/

Akiva Hacohen, the owner of a flour mill in Yitzhar, return from the annual IsraFood exhibition with renewed support for his flour business in Judea and Samaria.

IsraFood exhibition was held in Tel Aviv last week. IsraFood is a forum where food providers in Israel can interact with one another and help with each others businesses. Akiva Hacohen, owner of a flour mill in the Jewish town of Yitzhar, participated for the third year in a row. Hacohen says this year was special and he left with new insights.

In an interview with Hakol Hayehudi, Hacohen says that unlike previous exhibitions, where people responded indifferently upon hearing he was from the Jewish settlement of Yitzhar, this year people were much more interested in supporting him in light of the EU boycott.

“It was clear that everybody wanted to support businesses in Judea and Samaria,” says Hacohen. “People told me ‘they marked your products so that we’d know to buy more.’ It is very clear that the EU initiative to mark products from Judea and Samaria has led to increased demand domestically.”

Hacohen compares the situation to disagreements within a family. “The moment someone tries to come from outside and impose their will on one family member, the whole family quickly rallies to support that member even if there are internal disagreements,” explains Hacohen.

“Deep down all Jews love one another,” says Hacohen. “It’s true that there are sometimes disagreements, but when someone from outside tries to boycott a member of the Jewish family, the entire Jewish people quickly rally to support.”

Hacohen mentions that he has also managed the ‘Products from Yesha’ organization in recent years. This group itself often labels products from Judea and Samaria in Israel so that Jews who want to support Jewish settlements can do so. According to Hacohen, there are other similar groups abroad that focus on promoting products from Judea and Samaria.

“This entire story has led to increased support,” says Hacohen. “Of course there are many loud left-wing voices, who make the most noise, but the vast majority of Jews and even many non-Jews want to support Jewish settlements.