I've copied a couple of things about Carmel/Agrexco,
one of the Israeli companies we were talking about.
Couldn't see how to subscribe to this list. Anyone who
wants to join can contact me directly & I'll pass your
name on. Otherwise I can post things from that list
that I think will be of interest.

apartheid_sux@yahoogroups.com

Sunday 11th February 2007

PRESS RELEASE

SECOND DAY OF ACTION AGAINST ISRAELI COMPANY IMPORTING
VALENTINE'S DAY
FLOWERS

CARMEL-AGREXCO BLOCKADED

Photos/Interviews, Call 07845039980, email
thewallmustfall@...

Thirteen Palestine solidarity protesters from London
and Brighton are
blockading the UK base of an Israeli agricultural
export company Agrexco
(UK) Ltd, Swallowfield Way, Hayes, Middlesex.

This is the second day of action against Agrexco on
one of their busiest
weekends of the year. Agrexco are dealing with large
amounts of Israeli
flowers in the build up to Valentine's Day. On
Saturday over a hundred
protesters stood in front of the gates of the depot
and deliveries had to
be rescheduled.

Agrexco is Israel's largest exporter of agricultural
produce into the
European Union, and is 50% Israeli state owned. It
imports produce from
illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

This morning activists locked themselves to both gates
of the Hayes depot.
They were met with violence by privates security
guards from First Class
Protection. The blockade is currently stopping all
motor vehicle traffic
in and out of the building.

Before taking part in this action many of the
defendants had witnessed
first hand the suffering of Palestinian communities
under the brutal
Israeli occupation. They do not accept the UK's
complicity in the illegal
occupation of Palestine and see the presence of this
company as a
violation of human rights.

BACKGROUND

Carmel-Agrexco is 50% owned by the state of Israel,
and imports produce
from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. At
the same time
Israeli forces have blocked Palestinian exports on
grounds of 'security'.

Israeli state sponsored settlements have appropriated
land and water
resources by military force from Palestinian farmers
in a deliberate
policy of colonial settlement.

In a hearing in September the judge ruled that Agrexco
(UK) must prove
that their business is lawful.


To: apartheid_sux@yahoogroups.com
Cc: apartheid_sux@yahoogroups.com

agrexco now claiming what they said were palestinian
strawberries are now
Israeli.

Freshinfo

1st March 2007

Israeli farmers love valentine's day

Although Valentine's Day is not an official holiday in
Israel, local
farmers had reason to celebrate. Agrexco, exporters of
agricultural
products, reported soaring European demand for Israeli
flowers and
strawberries ahead of the holiday. Over 100,000
specially packaged
heart-shaped boxes of strawberries were sold in the
U.K. at major chains
such as Marks and Spencer's for prices that were 30%
higher this year than
last.

Agrexco officials explained the increase in price was
due to harsh weather
conditions in Morocco and Spain, causing a shortage of
the fruit in
European markets. Israeli farmers were able to pick up
the slack. Assaf
Hadar, Agrexco director of strawberry exports, noted
that another reason
for the increase in demand is the better tasting
berries that Israel is
now growing.

Amos Or, Agrexco director in the U.K., noted that
Israeli fruit and
flowers are also popular in Eastern Europe and
Scandinavia and even the
Far East, which are fairly new markets. Calls for a
European boycott of
Israeli goods by anti-Israel groups have little impact
on sales," said Or.
"I've been here in the U.K. for four years and from
time to time these
pro-Palestinian groups will try and get people to stop
buying Israeli
products but it hasn't hurt us so far."

Or said that the exports of fruit and flowers ahead of
the Valentine's
holiday this year was expected to bring in at least a
half a million Euros
in sales.

Source: www.freshinfo.com


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