The Ein Zivan kibbutz presents itself as the perfect retreat for Israeli families who want some time away from the heat and buzz of cities like Tel Aviv. It is green, quiet and benefits from the cooler, more comfortable climate. It is also one of the first settlements in the Israeli occupied Golan.

Established in 1968, Ein Zivan has a population of around 50 Israeli families and, like most Golan settlements, makes its money through tourism and fruit sales. Cherries, blackberries, strawberries, peaches, pomegranates, plums, apples and various herbs are all grown on the land occupied by Ein Zivan. The kibbutz runs a popular ‘pick your own fruit’ service for tourists and locals, but its fields are covered in flags and signs for the Israeli fruit export and marketing company Beresheet, which runs the distribution part of the kibbutz' business (for a previous Corporate Watch article on Beresheet, see here).

When Corporate Watch visited Ein Zivan, Israeli settlers were busy expanding the tourist appeal of the settlement: they were just about to have an opening party for a new ‘Peter Pan children’s park’ and a petting zoo. There is a bed & breakfast, Lan Bagolan, located inside the settlement, as well as the Pelter winery, which exports some of its produce to the USA, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Denmark. Settlers say that Pelter wines are also available in more than 20 Michelin-starred restaurants (for locations where Pelter wines are sold, see here).

Naan Dan Jain, which provides irrigation services to farmers in Ein Zivan, has distributors in most European countries and subsidiaries in Spain, France, Italy and Romania. For a full list of distributors, see here. The UK distributor is K.A.R. UK (Invar Road, Swinton, Manchester, M27 3PN, Email: sales@karuk.com, Tel: 0161939703).

View this article with pictures at http://corporateoccupation.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/tourism-fruit-picking-and-occupation-ideology-ein-zivan-settlement-in-the-golan-2/