Thank you to everyone who contacted us and who lobbied their MP with their concerns about the recent export ban on Palestinian goods. Our suppliers have confirmed that they have been able to export goods in recent days. Our container carrying new harvest olive oil has crossed the checkpoint and has now shipped from Haifa. Our Medjoul date suppliers have also succeeded in getting shipments out which is a relief; there had been a risk of missing the time specific sales peak of Ramadan.
While we are relieved, the issue remains that it is extraordinary that an entire nation’s agricultural export activity can be brought to a complete halt by another nation’s military apparatus. For that reason, we will continue working closely with Oxfam and the Fairtrade Foundation to raise this issue with government bodies asking them to defend the interests of UK bilateral trade with Palestine.
It is also a concern that the ban was under-reported in the media and, as we have seen from the closure of Gaza for more than a decade, it can be low on the priority of our politicians.
With that in mind, we reflect that it is in Zaytoun’s mission to use the products as a vehicle for communicating the narrative of Palestinian farmers, and we thank you for your ongoing support with this.
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