In its annual distribution of Jewish New Year gift baskets to Israeli organizations, the U.S. Embassy included a bottle of wine that was produced on the “wrong side” of the 1949 Armistice Line.
The wine in the basket was a kosher Cabernet Sauvignon produced by the Zion Winery in Mishor Adumim, located east of Jerusalem, Reuters reported.
Mishor Adumim is an industrial park in the industrial zone of the city of Ma’ale Adumim housing more than 300 factories and businesses, a 10 minutes’ drive from Jerusalem. Several kosher wineries are located there, along with at least two large supermarkets and several Arab-owned businesses.
The leftist Peace Now organization was one of the groups that received the basket. “I’m sure it was an honest mistake,” a member of the organization told Reuters.
An Embassy official emphasized, “This should in no way be interpreted as a change of our policy on settlements, which is long-standing and clear.” The United States is opposed to the presence of Israeli residents in Judea and Samaria, and in any area claimed by the Palestinian Authority for its hoped-for Arab state.