Friday 29th February
8pm at Shah Jahan Mosque, Woking

“How Fair Trade is Helping Palestinians Today”

Come and hear Taysir Arabasi of Zaytoun

Woking Fairtrade Action Network is delighted that Taysir will be visiting Woking during Fairtrade Fortnight.

Taysir has been working with Zaytoun since early 2004 and has been involved in grass roots agricultural projects for many years. He lives in Salfeet in the West Bank, Palestine.

Zaytoun is an ethical business established to support marginalized farming communities in Palestine and sells fairly traded olive oil, dates, almonds, soap and other products in the UK.

Saturday March 1st, 11.45 am

Dorking Christian Centre

Taysir Arabasi from Palestine will talk about the work of Zaytoun www.zaytoun.org

Taysir has been working with Zaytoun since early 2004, he has been involved in grass roots agricultural projects for many years and was active in community organising to resist ‘the wall’ which annexed so much Palestinian agricultural land to Israel. He lives in Salfeet, West Bank, Palestine.

The talk follows the fair trade coffee morning where olive oil and other products from Palestine will be available alongside Traidcraft.

After the talk there will be a chance to chat to Taysir over simple lunch finishing at 2pm

All welcome to any combination of coffee morning, talk and lunch.

Sunday 2nd March, 1 – 4pm

Palestinian Brunch

Habibi’s, 142 Far Gosford Street, Coventry, CV1 5DY

Come and enjoy a Palestinian breakfast/lunch: manakish (specially baked bread) with hummus, salada Asdoudia, Akouwi cheese and other delicious foods and Maramia (sage) tea.

Cost: £6.50 adults £4.50 children (payable at the meal)

Taysir Arabasi:
A founder member and project director of Zaytoun (www.zaytoun.org ) in Palestine, who works with marginalised farming communities in the West Bank, will be with us.

Further Details:
Ann Farr: annfarr@phonecoop.coop Tel: 024 7667 9398

3rd March 7; 30pm
Watford Friends of Salfit
Watford Trade Union hall, Woodford Rd, Watford (opposite Watford Junction)
Taysir: FairTrade in Palestine, the occupation & peoples lives

5th March Sheffield PSC
Supporting Palestinian olive farmers under Israeli Occupation - Fairtrade meeting - 5th March, Quaker Meeting House, Sheffield, 7.30pm

Taysir Arabasi is a Palestinian farmer and organiser with al-Zaytouna, a co-operative, which sell its organic fair trade olive oil to the UK not for profit Zaytoun.

Zaytoun in turn sell its olive oil, via Sheffield Palestine Solidarity Campaign to people in Sheffield.

Taysir started practical activism during the first Intifada when he was 15 years old, resisting occupation with everyone else in his community. More recently he has been involved in grass roots projects to resist ‘the wall’ which annexed so much Palestinian agricultural land to Israel.

Now Taysir, who has been working with Zaytoun since early 2004, and lives in Salfeet, West Bank, Palestine, as part of a UK tour during Fairtrade fortnight, is coming to Sheffield. This is a great opportunity to hear a community activist talk about his experiences under occupation.

Asked what his message was to us in Europe Taysir has said: My message as a farmer is: buy Palestinian Olive Oil – buy it promote it. It is the life of a nation concentrated in that bottle. If you help in selling, it means that you are helping to find some food for vulnerable families and milk for those kids living in isolated ghettos. By the oil, promote it.

Come and see Taysir and buy some oil too!

7th March 6.45pm - 8.45pm
In the Shade of the Olive Tree
Evening with City Circle
Venue: Abrar House, 45 Crawford Place, Off Edgware Rd, London W1H 4LP

Taysir Arabasi is a olive farmer from Palestine. In working with marginalized farming communities from the West Bank, Taysir works to support olive farmers market their oil to international Markets. He is a founder member and project director of Zaytoun and continues to play a crucial role in its development. In liaising with Farming co-operatives, Agricultural NGO’s and Palestinian trade unions Taysir has played a pivotal role in helping farmers in their ongoing struggle to access international trade markets and secure their access to food, water and trade.

Taysir began participating in non-violent resistance in the beginning of the second intifada (2001) volunteering with a group of friends and fellow farmers to challenge the checkpoints and the Israeli Government’s oppression against the livelihoods of the Palestinian people. Whilst working as a campaigner and community organiser against land and water confiscation and the Apartheid Wall, Taysir became introduced to international solidarity groups, many of whom are still working to highlight the brutal impact of the occupation and the devastating impact the Apartheid Wall is having on communities there.
www.zaytoun.org

The City Circle aims are to promote the development of a distinct British Muslim identity; to assist the process of community cohesion and integration by building bilateral strategic alliances between Muslim and non-Muslim communities; and to harness and channel the skills and resources of Muslim professionals into practical projects thereby facilitating and empowering young Muslim women and men to ‘put back in’ to the wider British community.
www.thecitycircle.com/

8th March

1030am Templars Square, Cowley, Oxford for Fairtrade event organised by Temple Cowley Fairtrade Group
Fairtrade event opened by Andrew Smith MP. Olive oil tasting will be part of the event