In spite of all political conflicts of a Christian bride-to-be-Arab family in the Palestinian territories since 25 years successfully beer. Be taken into account in addition to Muslim Jewish dietary regulations.
Oktoberfest in the Palestinian Taybeh.
“People use every Chance to find a distraction,” says Nadim Khoury, the founder and owner of the first brewery in the Palestinian territories. “Whether with or without alcohol, a bottle of beer, gives people relaxation and allows you a while the the policy.”
The business is running, the cash register is ringing. Nevertheless, the brewery, founded by Nadim Khoury, together with other family members and is now around 25 years, was, from the start a political project: the Start of Khourys beer production in the West Bank in 1994, is still heavily inspired by the spirit and euphoria of a year earlier, sealed the Oslo agreements, which should pave the time, actually, the way for the founding of a Palestinian state along side of Israel. On the Homepage of the brewery, is referred to specifically today on this historic date.
With Yasser Arafat’s Blessing
Own state, its own brewery – the idea appealed at the time, apparently, the long-time Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. In 2004, the late Palestinian icon have supported the Plan for a separate Palestinian brewery in person, says Nadim Khoury like visitors to his family farm, which produces, in the meantime, in addition to beer, wine, and olive oil and a connected hotel.
Brewer Nadim Khoury is proud of his products.
A state of their own, the Palestinians have not until today, however, the brewery has remained, and now produces six varieties of beer for the home and abroad: “Golden”, “Light”, “Dark”, “Amber”, “White” and “alcohol-free”. “All six of the varieties are strictly brewed according to German purity law”, stresses the chief brewer Khoury, and reported less pride, where his Palestinian beer everywhere and drink: 60 per cent are sold in the Palestinian Autonomous areas, 30 percent in Israel, and the Rest abroad. Among the export countries besides the United States, where Khoury had learned during his studies in the Brew, with varying degrees of “beer Nations” such as Spain, the UK, Chile, Japan, and Germany.
Pride of the 59-Year-old is the fact that his family has produced from the beginning of the juice of the Barley for Israeli beer lovers – including a Rabbi made the official certification as a “kosher product”, which served as a market-opener for the Jewish state. Israel is not only a neighbor, but also an occupying power. Against this Background, Khoury would like to make a small contribution to the peaceful coexistence of Israelis and Palestinians as well as Christians, Jews and Muslims: All the six varieties are recognized as “kosher”, the alcohol-free variant has been operating under the Label “halal”, so that you can theoretically also be consumed by devout Muslims. Not unimportant in a Region in which well over 90 percent of the inhabitants are Muslims, even if the family Khoury and brewery, residing in a Christian enclave. The 1500-soul village near Ramallah, is the same as the beer they produce there: Taybeh – which means translated as much as “good” or “tasty”.
“The taste of Palestine”
The Palestinian beer is brewed according to German purity law.
If Khoury is promoting his Beers, he says, from the “taste of Palestine”, refers to the year of his brewery-oriented “Oktoberfest” Bavarian-German model in Taybeh. “The visitors come not only from Palestine and Israel, we also have beer lovers from Europe and the USA as guests,” he says. “Beer not only connects people to each other,” Khoury convinced. “Beer can even contribute to peace.”
Conflicts still remained, however – the brewery operation is up strong today of the political and social mood-dependent. The Hamas ties-motion Beers the import of Taybeh-controlled Gaza strip – even the alcohol-free version may not distribute, Nadim Khoury in the rule of the Islamists. Business in Israel is subject to frequent fluctuations. Before the second Intifada, the Palestinian uprising from 2000 to 2005, the revenues of the Palestinian beer with up to 70 percent at times more than twice as high as it is today. At that time, Palestinians in Israel were perceived to be far stronger than it is today as a future peace partner. Today, however, the situation appears to be the method, and a solution to the conflict in the “Holy Land” in the distance. The Khourys to feel.
The biggest concern for the Palestinian beer-brewers, namely the ever-recurring access restrictions from the Israeli side. During hops, malt and yeast from Europe be imported, comes the water for the Palestinian beer from a nearby source, under Israeli control. The Israeli authorities may at any time turn off the faucet and would have done so in the past on several occasions criticized Khoury. “Without water we can’t work here, of course,” he sighs and complains areas, more restrictions, separation wall and Israeli Checkpoints in the Palestinian. “We can export our beer to today exclusively on Israel abroad,” he says, “but the controls often take days.” Nevertheless, he is proud to be able to in spite of adverse circumstances, in the meantime, an annual production of 600,000 litres of beer in the Holy Land.