Israel Exports Apples to Syria; Syria Sells Them to Gulf States.

By IsraelNationalNews.com

For the second straight year, Israeli apple growers are expanding their customer base to include an unlikely, but eager purchaser of their surplus produce---Syria. Using the United Nations as an intermediary, Israel has exported about 10,000 tons of apples from the Golan Heights to Syria, double the amount exported last year.

The growing trade in apples between the two countries, which are technically at war with each other, is an interesting anomaly in a region riddled with violence and virtually endless internecine conflict.

Faced with a surplus of apples, the Israel Agriculture Ministry turned to the United Nations peacekeeping force on the Golan Heights in a bid to export the excess produce to Syria. The Syrians, apparently short on apples, unexpectedly agreed to the deal.

Ironically, Israel's apples are grown mainly in the Golan Heights, an area which Syria considers occupied territory, ever since Israel conquered it in the 1967 Six Day War.

The produce will come from Druze apple growers. Though full-fledged citizens of Israel, many Golan Druze still identify with Syria and maintain extensive family ties across the border.

The deal is expected to help Jewish growers as well, by stabilizing prices on the local market, said Giora Sela, director of the Israel Farmers' Federation.

In another twist, Sela said Israel's surplus of apples stems from the inability of growers to market the produce in the Gaza district, due to the prolonged closure of Karni border terminal. Israel shut the terminal down after receiving warnings that the terminal was being targeted by terrorists.

Sela expressed satisfaction that both Israel and Syria stood to benefit from the unusual transaction. Syrian consumers, however, may not able to taste the Israeli apples, which are known for their quality and sweetness. The Syrian importers will probably resell the apples to states in the Persian Gulf, where prices for such produce are much higher.

When it comes to apples, this time in the Middle East, what's likely to win out, is not military force, but the force of the market.