Welcoming the launch of Fairtrade Palestinian olive oil

Jews for Justice for Palestinians is delighted that Fairtrade Palestinian olive oil is to receive wide distribution by UK retailers such as the Cooperative. We have promoted the sale of this oil for some time. It is of an extremely high grade and we urge our signatories and indeed all British consumers to continue to purchase it, from the Co-op and other retailers.

We are particularly pleased that the Fairtrade Foundation has recognised that this product is not only delicious but also ethically produced. Their certification will lead to increased benefits and support for Palestinians pursuing non violent ways of resisting the occupation. Anyone who has visited the West Bank in recent years will know that to cultivate crops, let alone to turn them into such excellent products and then to export them is a huge struggle. Land is confiscated, trees are uprooted, crops destroyed – either to build illegal settlements or the equally illegal Barrier. In the face of such destruction, Palestinian commitment to the land and its fruit is nothing short of heroic.

Jews for Justice for Palestinians is the UK’s largest Jewish organisation actively opposed to the Israeli occupation.  
 
20 March 2009