Why buy?

We would like to share with you the message below, which speaks to what it means to the locals to buy their produce. [Note that neither Israel nor Jordan (the two natural markets) currently accept Palestinian olive oil -ed.]

(for more information regarding conditions on the ground, please see the Palestine Olive Harvest Links)

When I was in Palestine, we visited the village of Rummana, near Jenin, which has been drastically affected by the wall. Massive unemployment and lack of mobility have had devastating economic effects. 70 famillies have lost access to their land, so they can not reach their olive trees and other crops. Those who were able to harvest their olives were unable to sell them for a variety of reasons due to the Occupation. (This is also true in Anin, which we also visited.) The two major sources of income, working in Israel and agriculture, have been taken away. Consequently, except for a small number of people who have shops in this little village, most folks can't work. In a meeting with the mayor of Rummana, I asked him what we can do that may be of help. Here's his response (in part):

Thought you might be interested in just how much this means to folks in Palestine.
Arla.

".. not to believe in the possibility of dramatic change is to forget that things have changed, not enough, of course, but enough to show what is possible. We have been surprised before in history. We can be surprised again. Indeed, we can do the surprising."

Howard Zinn - 'You can't be neutral on a moving train.'

Holy Land Olive Oil in its volunteer phase supported organizations that are active in supporting Palestinian farmers. As a startup business, Holy Land Olive Oil is committed to give back from the proceeds a minimum of 10% percent of the purchase price of the oil to the cooperatives supplying the oil for local projects of their choosing.