Leichhardt Friends of Hebron Festival, Sydney

Several Archive staff and volunteers met up at Leichhardt Friends of Hebron's event last Saturday at Leichhardt Town Hall:

At the Archive we sincerely respect the work Leichhardt Friends of Hebron are doing. Here's some info from their website:

"Leichhardt is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, Australia. In 2007 a group of concerned people formed the group Leichhardt Friends of Hebron to build partnerships with local NGOs in the West Bank of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and assist with project support for the people of Hebron and the south Hebron hills. 

"The Friends of Hebron aim to:

• Work in Leichhardt to promote human rights as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and subsequent United Nations conventions and declarations and respect for international law in the occupied Palestinian lands;
• Work in Leichhardt to raise awareness of human rights and humanitarian issues relevant to the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands;
• Raise money for vital community projects in the city of Hebron and surrounding areas;
• To work with other municipalities in Australia in building relationships and partnerships with Palestinian communities; and
• Establish a sister city relationship between the Leichhardt Municipal Council and the City of Hebron in the occupied Palestinian lands.

"Friends of Hebron welcomes new members. Membership is open to all residents of Leichhardt, the Inner West and wider Sydney community who support the aims stated above. Contact Leichhardt Friends of Hebron at hebronleichhardt@gmail.com"

For several years now Leichhardt Friends of Hebron has held a Palestinian festival during Refugee Week. This year the festival was held on Saturday 21st June, 2014:

"our fantastic plans for the day include the exhibition,  our ceramics and stalls, our forum, our film, our food and more…. This will be another great event, drawing attention to the world’s longest standing refugee situation and one of the most unjust.  After 66 years Palestinian refugees are still unable to return to their homes. 

"All money raised will, as always, go to support our kindergarten projects  at Umm al Khair, at Khashem al Daraj and especially, Tel Rumeida, as well as our newly identified project in the community of Dkaika, in the Southern tip of the West Bank."

We arrived just after 2pm, and the town hall was bustling:

We greeted other friends and event organizers, and made lots of new friends, especially over discussions of Palestinian embroidery - from the Women In Hebron Group and one of the Bethlehem groups - and Palestinian fair trade products, about which we'll put up another post soon.

Being a fundraiser we wanted to spend as much money as we could, so we had fun wandering around the stalls purchasing Palestinian sweets, zaatar, olive oil soaps, books, posters and raffle tickets:

We also did some real work, purchasing two books for  the Palestine Costume Archive's Research Library and two more kaffiyas from the Herbawi factory in Hebron for the Archive's costume collection:

We spent lots of time in the photographic exhibition "Families Interrupted":

"Through a series of anonymous portraits, this exhibition captures the reality of the many thousands of Palestinian families who are forced to live in the shadows by the Israeli Citizenship Law. By lifting the thin veil of anonymity that envelops them, the images give insights into how the ban turns them into families interrupted, struggling to lead a normal life together. By photographing them in their personal spaces, it offers glimpses of their day-to-day human existence as families."

We'll post more about the exhibition in a later post - apart from being a good exhibition the organizers did a great job installing it on a non existent budget and not even a power point! - but for now here's some info via the exhibition about that law:

"The Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law (2003) bans family unification where one spouse is an Israeli citizen (in practice almost all of whom are Palestinian citizens) and the other a resident of the OPT (excluding Jewish settler living in the OPT). 

 

"Minor exceptions to the ban were introduced in 2005 allowing the Interior Ministry to make special exceptions to the ban, including in cases where the husband is over 35 years of age or the wife over 25, in special medical or work cases, and for children under the age of 14 to live with the parent inside Israle. An additional amendment in 2007 expanded the ban to include citizens and residents of Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. In accordance with the law, a cabinet decision added further restrictions in 2008 affecting residents of the Gaza Strip.

 

"Although the law was originally enacted as a temporary order, its validity has been repeatedly extended by the Knesset making it in effect a permanent law. Thousands of Palestinian families have been affected by the law, forced to split apart, move abroad or live in Israel in fear of constant deportation."

By now it was time for the forum “Restoring hope through international law – is the right of return for Palestinian refugees necessary for peace?”:

"Our speakers will discuss the sometimes controversial, internationally recognized right of refugees to return to areas from which they have fled or been forced to leave. Should refugees be compensated  for what they have lost? Should they be allowed to return home? Should they be allowed to repossess their properties or should they instead receive compensation and support for resettlement? What if their homes are gone? Have been demolished to make way for an airport? Refugee rights derive from a number of legal sources, including customary international law, international humanitarian law (governing rights of civilians during war), and human rights law"

 The speakers were Samah Sabawi and Dr Marcelo Svirsky:

"Samah Sabawi is an Australian-Palestinian writer, playwright an political analyst with years of experience and special expertise in human rights. Samah was born in Palestine but her family was displaced as a result of Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip in 1967. She lived with her family in a refugee camp, moved into the Arabian Gulf and later migrated to Australia. She still has family living under Israeli siege in Gaza. Her work reflects her passion about her heritage and her desire for a peaceful resolution that is based on justice and respect of human rights for all.  

 

"She is a policy advisor to the Palestinian policy network AlShabaka and has formerly served as executive director and media spokesperson for the National Council on Canada Arab Relations (NCCAR) and as public advocate for Australians for Palestine. 

 

"Dr Marcelo Svirsky is a political scientist who works at the School of History and Politics, University of Wollongong, where he  teaches subjects in International Studies.  He grew up in Argentina but moved to Israel where he completed his education at Technion and Haifa Universities. As an activist, Marcelo has long been involved  in the Palestinian struggle for peace with justice. Later this year, Marcelo will walk from Sydney to the Federal Parliament in Canberra to raise awareness about Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, (BDS), in Australia.  

"His research interests are primarily invested on theories and the practice of political activism, revolutionary action, and social transformation. His current research and works in progress include a special issue of the journal Settler Colonial Studies and ‘The Ecology of Interculturalism in Israel’

It was good to have the opportunity to listen to Samah again - we'd last encountered her at the Human Rights in Palestine that we attended at the Australian National University in Canberra last year.

Afterwards we sat up the front to watch the Palestinian fashion parade.

The Palestine Costume Archive's Education Officers often lend a hand with events like this worldwide. They are usually either run by Palestinian diaspora communities or by activist groups who borrow a few garments from their local Palestinian community.  Sometimes we are asked to help with the whole thing, in which case we usually put up one of our small traveling educational displays about Palestinian costume and embroidery at the event. We then also arrange with the local community for a few families to bring some treasured embroidered items in to be included in the fashion parade, which we help identify and provide historical background on.

In the case of last Saturday we were just there with and as friends and not taking part.  But in just being part of the audience we were also fulfilling our role of observing and documenting what cultural knowledge remains in Palestinian diaspora communities. We were looking forward to seeing what type of embroidered garments would be thought important to include by the local community, and what might be said about each garment.

When we'd ask for information about the fashion parade, Leichhardt Friends of Hebron organizers had told us the owner of the dresses loaned for the fashion parade lived in Sydney, but was very unwell and unable to attend.  Which was probably why the text read out during the fashion parade was a bit disjointed and there was no descriptive information at all about the actual dresses on the stage (for example, the only pattern mentioned was the saru, but not a single dress on the stage contained it).

But being a bit short on specific costume details didn't stop the resulting event from being a lot of fun. Kudos to everyone involved, from the MCs

to Samah

to the last minute models (both Palestinian and the many non Palestinians)

and especially Jamal Elayan (who not only burst into song but started the dabke)

 what an amazing half hour we all had, both on the stage and in the audience. What came across is the tremendous love Palestinians have for their culture, in all it's forms. We're so glad we took this short video - watch it and you'll see what we mean :)

We had to leave before the final film of the event, but just wanted to take this opportunity to thank Leichhardt Friends of Hebron for such a wonderful day.  We understand how much this event takes to organize.  We truly do, and we stand amazed by what you've achieved with it over the years.  Keep up the great work in Hebron. And thank you :)

PS:  for Archive staff and Educational Officers:

Here's a quick test: if you had been asked up on the stage at the last minute and these Palestinian garments were presented, what would you have told the audience about them?  We're looking for:

• estimate of date 
• pre 48 village region / post 48 country / refugee camp / embroidery co-op
• fabrics and embroidery thread id
• patterns

Drop us a line at the usual email address and we'll add in the right details as they come in :)

Some responses now in:

Okay 13 of you have responded so far so we can update the photos below.

• 10 points to those of you who replied that you can't confirm date / age of garment / fabrics etc without examining the garments.
• 10 points for everyone who thought all the garments were post 1948 except possibly number 1, but noted you can't confirm it's date without examining the garment

1) This one was too easy lol. 10 points to everyone who identified the dress Samah Sabawi chose to wear as a classic "six branch" style.

10 points to everyone who identified this garment as "Ramallah" style
10 points to everyone who identified the base fabric as (if pre1948) "probably black / indigo linen" or if post 48, "possibly rayon or synthetic".
10 points to everyone who identified the embroidery stitch as cross stitch
10 points for identifying the type of thread as "probably cotton".
10 points to everyone who identified the central motif as a "branches of birds" variation.

2) 10 points to everyone who identified this garment as "shawal" style

10 points to everyone who thought the fabric is "possibly velvet" but you can't confirm base fabric without sighting / examining the dress.
10 points to everyone who identified the embroidery as cross stitch and couching, and the
10 points to everyone who noted the type of thread as "probably cotton".
10 points to everyone who identified the motifs as "modern interpretations" - with the exception of the very top of the qabbeh we can't identify any motifs.

3)  10 points to everyone who identified this garment as "shawal" style

10 points to everyone who identified the embroidery as cross stitch.

10 points to everyone who identified the motifs as "modern interpretations" - we can't identify any motifs.

4)  10 points to everyone who identified this garment as "interesting" lol.

10 points to everyone who identified this garment as "a flag dress" style - we don't think it actually is, but it was a great guess. By linking with this topic you could have raised the subject of political textiles

5 6 7 (on the right side of the photo):

5: 
10 points to everyone who identified this garment as "shawal" style. 
10 points to everyone who identified the base fabric as "probably black linen".
10 points to everyone who identified this garment as "probably 1980s".
10 points to everyone who identified the embroidery as cross stitch.
Extra 10 points to everyone who expanded their identification to discuss how multicoloured shaded threads were popular in the 1970s and early 1980s
10 points to everyone who remembered to mention that these dresses originally had an accompanying triangular embroidered scarf.

6: 
10 points to everyone who identified this garment as a style popular in refugee camps in Jordan in the 1980s.
10 points to everyone who identified the base fabric as "probably synthetic or rayon".
10 points to everyone who identified the embroidery as cross stitch.
10 points if you noted the type of thread as "probably cotton".
10 points to everyone who identified the motifs as floral designs that originally date from the 1940s
Extra 10 points if you remembered there is a very similar one in the Archive's collection.

7: 
10 points to everyone who identified this garment as "Bethlehem" style
Extra 10 points to everyone who went further in their id and explained a bit about the "malak"style
10 points to everyone who identified the base fabrics as "post 48 versions of Bethlehem fabrics ... possibly synthetic velvet".
10 points to everyone who identified the embroidery stitch as couching.
10 points if you noted the type of thread as "possibly cotton and lurex".

Get back to us to confirm your total :)


More Info:

• Leichhardt Friends of Hebron website
• Leichhardt Friends of Hebron group on Facebook
• Leichhardt Friends of Hebron - festival program
• Leichhardt Friends of Hebron - projects

The Deir Ballout Women's Cooperative needs a little bit of help, but not much :)

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Meet Um Hikmat Khaled.

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Bee keeper. Baker.  Independent farmer.  Wearer of stunning contemporary Palestinian dresses. Palestine Fair Trade Association board member. Canaan Fair Trade Deir Ballout women’s Cooperative member.  Um Hikmat is a woman who gets things done.

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Um Hikmat lives in Deir Ballout / Ballut (Arabic: دير بلّوط‎), a Palestinian village located in the Salfit Governorate in the northern West Bank, forty five kms south west of Nablus. According to POICA, this location:

"makes it one of the frontline villages in the governorate as it is situated on the Green Line. The population of the villages is about 3,500 according to 2005 estimates. There are a number of clans in the village including the clans of AbduIlah, Odeh, Musa, Qasem, Mustafa and Sabra, in addition to a number of smaller refugee clans (constituting about 12% of the village’s population.)

"The total area of the village is about 13.941 dunums, 10.000 dunums of which are located in the plains and is used to grow winter and summer crops. The built up area of the village is about 809 dumus and the remaining lands are used as range land and are located in the west of the village close to the Green Line, while the remaining area is planted with olive orchards mostly separated behind the Wall. The available data indicates that the village has lost more than 17,000 dunums of its fertile agricultural lands during the 1948 war."

Canaan Free Trade confirms that currently:

"Out of a population of 4200 people, 80% depend on agriculture with over 15000 dunums dedicated to olive trees and stone fruits, and 3000 dunums used to plant winter crops such as wheat, lentils, barley, and rain-fed  vegetables" 

Palestinian farmers face a lot of unique problems as well as the usual every day ones every farmer faces. The result has been that many now work with organizations like the Palestine Fair Trade Association (PFTA):

"the largest fair trade producers' union in Palestine, with over 1700 small Palestinian farmers joined in fair trade collectives and cooperatives across the country.  Collectively our farmers produce the traditional olive oil and food delicacies from Palestine, and sell them internationally to buyers and markets not available to an individual farmer. 

"Fair trade means social and economic empowerment – a dignified living for farmers who have not had access to the outside world for over 40 years.  We revitalize farming traditions and a culture of sustainability by linking the  traditionally organic farming methods of Palestine to modern organic/ecological movements and markets."

Deir Ballout is one of the villages that works with Canaan Free Trade, who's mission is "to benefit the farming communities of Palestine": 

"Before we began, farmers here were selling their olive oil for 23% less than it costs them to harvest it (8 sheckels per kilo). Now, that we're able to sell our oil around the world, our growers are earning 22 sheckels per kilo, enabling us to earn a living from the farm crafts our families have practiced for generations. Our motto is "Insisting On Life". 

"Canaan is rare among Fair Trade cooperatives in that we do more than simply export raw goods for finishing and marketing by other companies.  We also manage all our processing, packaging and branding.

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"We provide finished, ready-to-sell "Product of Palestine" premium food items. This of course means more economic opportunities for the people of Palestine, but it also allows us to protect the authenticity, integrity and quality of everything that we do"

Canaan Free Trade have been achieving great things for Palestinian farmers for a while now. And we can vouch that indeed their products are of the highest "authenticity, integrity and quality". We know. We've bought them and scoffed them :).  Canaan Free Trade's website states:

"Deir Ballout is also the home of Palestine Fair Tradeʼs 20-member olive cooperative that produces around 50 tons of olive oil annually, as well as the highly organized womens cooperative whose members produce about 10 tons of Canaan Fair Tradeʼs delicious Maftoul."

Which brings us back to Um Hikmat, who we met at the top of this post, who has a lot to do with those local women's cooperatives.

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As many Palestine Costume Archive friends know, we've worked with Palestinian women's cooperatives since the 1980s. We were able to offer use advice and some funding for some cooperatives with embroidery programs as well as assist with international markets.  It was an extraordinary experience for us because in many cases there were hardly any men left in the village. Canaan Free Trade encountered something similar in Deir Ballout:

"This village ... embodies a unique kind of beauty and hard working spirit [with] women are the primary actors in the agricultural field ... While women in Dier Ballout are proud of their leadership role in the community, most of them say that they suffer from having to carry the brunt of a conflict that has left most of the men in the village no choice but to work in difficult jobs in Israeli settlement sweatshops as carpenters and textile workers. According to Um Hikmat, “agricultural work is good but it is not enough to sustain a modern day family with all the demands in life. Men do what they can to support their families. Many even work in settlements that have taken up their own lands because factory work gives them some income. Not a good income but an income nonetheless.”

"There is, without a doubt, an unsettling feeling as you come into Deir Ballout surrounded by 3 major Israeli settlements that engulf the small village. This is why Um Hikmat says the work of the Palestine Fair Trade Association, of which she is an active member, has been very important in the village. “With fair prices for our olive oil more  people are starting to go back to the land because when Canaan Fair Trade came the revenue from olive oil got better. So many leave the textile work in the factories during the harvest season and they work in their land. It is a short month and it is tiring but it gives good yield that allows breathing space for people.” 

These cooperatives now produce a wide range of traditional Palestinian handmade products. Canaan Free Trade is trying to help establish a world market for these products:

"Fair trade women's cooperatives have introduced many traditional Palestinian handmade products to the world market – couscous, za'atar and olive oil soap among them. These products give women an opportunity to earn income and empower them as they gain experience and skills in management, problem-solving, and cooperative relationships. Economic success has led to greater self-confidence, greater civic participation, and greater influence for many women. "

"Our women's cooperatives have evolved from single item cooperatives to year round businesses.  Now village cooperatives are creating their own women's centers, where the women will own the center, making their business sustainable and viable and giving each member a share in the land and the profit.  Deir Ballout village, our most advanced women's cooperative, is building now..."

In a quote above Canaan Fair Trade mentioned their "delicious Maftoul".  If you are not familiar with Maftoul, you can see it's small, round, pasta-like granules made from semolina and wheat flour in the  Canaan Fair Trade product photo below.

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Maftoul provides a classic example of Israeli cultural appropriation. It's absolutely fascinating to read on Wiki's Israeli couscous page, under it's Hebrew title Ptitim, how the product was:

"invented during the austerity period in Israel (from 1949 to 1959), when rice was scarce, to provide for the needs of the Mizrahi immigrants, for whom rice was a dietary staple"

And how:

"Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, asked Eugen Proper, one of the founders of the Osem food company, to quickly devise a wheat-based substitute to rice. The company ... developed ptitim, which is made of hard wheat flour and roasted in an oven. The product was instantly a success, after which ptitim made in the shape of small, dense balls (which the company termed "couscous") was added to the original rice-shaped ptitim"

Right down the bottom you'll read:

"Pearl-shaped ptitim are somewhat similar to the Levantine pearled couscous known as maftoul or mograbieh in Lebanon"

Amazing how one sentence can conceal so much!  At least now you can find more truthful histories of "Israeli couscous" online, like this one from CookThink.com:

"Like couscous, so-called Israeli couscous are small, round, pasta-like granules made from semolina and wheat flour. While the Israeli company Osem claims to have "invented" Israeli couscous in the 1950s, it is simply a marketing term for what was known previously as North African berkukes or Palestinian matfoul and popular in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. 

"Unlike familiar small, yellow semolina-based North African couscous, Israeli couscous (which is sometimes called pearl couscous) is twice as big and is toasted rather than dried. This gives it a nutty flavor and a sturdy composition that gives it a chewy bite and makes it stand up to sauce. Israeli couscous can be used in salads, soups or as a base for chicken or fish. It works well when prepared like a rice pilaf" 

Maftoul has become a popular Palestinian export and one of the Deir Ballout women's cooperative's most popular products. On the Canaan Fair Trade website Um Hikmat calls her co-op's version:

"the best Maftoul in Palestine! Made from organic wheat and rolled with her own hands she says, “We may not have technological advancements in our village but we can do things with our hands that are superior to anything made by machines. No machine can make this kind of Maftoul. It does not work.”"

"Working with several women in her coop to improve their economical condition, Um Hikmat holds a bigger vision for the work that they are doing. She puts aside any personal differences to keep pressing forward with the hope that one day the work her coop does will speak to the world’s ears and break down what she refers to as cultural misunderstandings. “We want our work to communicate to people around the world that we are beautiful and strong women contrary to how we are often portrayed.” 

We'd love to meet Um Hikmat sometime.  Okay so we are biased and we want to ask her about the wonderful traditional dresses she wears. But seriously, she's achieving lots of great things, as Canaan Fair Trade point out:

"Um Hikmat has been becoming more and more involved in connecting women from different villages together in order to learn from each other ways to improve their lives. While many women find themselves in a position where their husbands cannot find work due to closures and a challenging economy, Um Hikmat says, “We have to find ways to support ourselves creatively. This is why we are now expanding our work to include more handcrafts and artwork. It is important to show young girls that they are not prisoners to their circumstances and that with hard work and determination, they may not be able to change the whole situation, but they can become more in control of their lives.” 

"But mere survival is not Um Hikmat’s goal. This is why she is excited about the role Fair Trade has played in their coop.“Since we started making Maftoul for Canaan Fair Trade we have been enjoying the company of each other more. We love life. We want to enjoy it to the fullest; this is why we don’t work alone. Maftoul is a great excuse to get together, cook together, and work together We roll, we chat, and we feel good when we are finished that we accomplished something as a group. These are the beautiful things in life.”

Canaan Fair Trade elaborates on the co-op's influence on another page of their website:

"the excellence of the work of the women in this community has also made a noteworthy contribution to Canaan Fair Trade and other women cooperatives in northern villages. 

"As one of the best Maftoul making cooperatives women in Deir Ballout have helped conduct several Maftoul rolling trainings inviting other cooperative members to come and learn their methods"

From all this we are sure you will agree it's become pretty clear that the Deir Ballout women's cooperative desperately need a base of operations for all their activities, from creating their products to holding training programs for others. 

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Which is where this old house comes into the picture.

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It's a lovely example of traditional Palestinian architecture.

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Which is why the Riwaq Center for Architectural Conservation is interested in it.  We are sure you've heard about Riwaq's work. We hold tremendous respect for them - basically our mission statement's are very similar, just replace architectural heritage with cultural heritage. But they've achieved so much, we are just in awe :)

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"Riwaq’s mission is the protection of the Palestinian architectural heritage. The center’s activities started with research and documentation in 1991 and developed into more concrete conservation and planning projects. By 1998, the center operated in five main areas, these are: 

- Conservation of historic buildings
- Rehabilitation and development of historic centers
- Research and publications
- Community awareness
- Documenting and archiving information about all historic building in the West Bank and Gaza. 

"By 2006, Riwaq had become the leading organization in architectural conservation in Palestine, and has been able to achieve many of its planned objectives. A Register of 50,320 historic buildings was compiled over the course of 10 years and published, more than 50 conservation projects were implemented and more than 16 protection plans for historic villages were prepared. These achievements are just examples of what Riwaq was able to accomplish over the years, for more information please visit Riwaq’s website (www.riwaq.org). "

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Have a look at their incredible 50 Villages Project:

"Following the completion in 2007 of Riwaq’s comprehensive architectural survey, which resulted in the publication of ‘Riwaq’s Registry of Historic Buildings’, it was revealed that almost 50% of the historic buildings in rural areas of the West Bank and Gaza are located in around 50 villages. Hence it has become Riwaq’s vision to focus on those 50 villages for the foreseeable future, working on rehabilitation projects to target improvement of services, infrastructure and living conditions of the public, private and surrounding spaces.  

"The 50 Villages Project is not only seen as resulting in the protection of 50% of the Palestinian architectural heritage, but also as a tool for socioeconomic development, generating employment opportunities in the village, disseminating traditional building knowledge and, most importantly, revitalizing the historic center and reinstating it as part of daily life.  

"One of the most important elements is to get the inhabitants and owners of properties in the historic centers interested and involved in rehabilitation, which can only happen with the involvement of the municipal or village council, local NGOs and individuals with authority and influence in the local community..."

More here.

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The great thing is Riwaq has kindly agreed to renovate this house so the co-op can use it.

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Here they are measuring everything. 

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Canaan Fair Trade has posted on the Facebook page that contained these photos that:

"Upon agreement, Riwaq will cover 90% of the conservation expenses, and the women have to cover the 10% left, which equals to around $5000US. 

"If you are interested, or know anyone who would be interested to contribute to cover the renovation expenses, please let us know! Every penny is greatly appreciated."

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Meanwhile - never ones to sit on their backsides - Um Hikmat and other co-op members have moved in with brooms to start cleaning the space.

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There is just something about this co-op that really makes us want to help. Perhaps it's because of Um Hikmat's great determination and achievements. Perhaps it's because they are so close to achieving their goal here. Perhaps it's because they make amazing Maftoul. 

Anyway, here we are, letting Archive friends know via our mailing list, doing the ask around thing of all Archive volunteers, and here finally via this very long post on our staff blog. Well you know us, we're into the education thing - and think how much you've learned today reading this!

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In everything we've said today this is the most important part:  

If you can help drop Canaan Fair Trade a line on Facebook with your email address and they'll send donation details.  

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We're sure next time you're in the region Um Hikmat and her colleagues would love to show you around the co-op's new premises :)

More info:

• Canaan Fair Trade website - Um Hikmat page 
• Wiki - Deir Ballut 
• POICA - Deir Ballout
• Canaan Fair Trade website - Deir Ballout page
• Palestine Fair Trade Association
• Wiki - Ptitim
• CookThink.com - Israeli couscous
• RIWAQ
• RIWAQ - 50 Village Project
• RIWAQ on Facebook
•  Canaan Fair Trade on Facebook

• Canaan Fair Trade - online shop
• if you can help drop Canaan Fair Trade a line on Facebook with your email address and they'll send donation details

Photos: courtesy Canaan Fair Trade on Facebook - photographer unknown