Peace Oil

Peace Oil is an initiative of the Charities Advisory Trust [ [http://www.charitiesadvisorytrust.org.uk/ Charities Advisory Trust] ] , a UK-based registered charity, lead by Hilary Blume [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2004/dec/08/charityfinance.guardiansocietysupplement "Guardian" article on Hilary Blume, founder of the Charities Advisory Trust: "Keeping faith - Hilary Blume, the brains behind good cause gifts and greetings cards, has raised millions of pounds for charity. So why does she care so little for charities? Alison Benjamin finds out" "Guardian" Society section, Wednesday 8 December 2004] .] which supports fund-raising by other charitable organisations. The charity describes the oil as "is produced in Israel by Jews, Arabs, Druze and Bedouin working together ...(it) encourages co-operation between communities". [ [http://www.peaceoil.org/peaceoil/ Peace Oil website] ] The project has been running since 2006 when the oil was launched at an [http://www.doingzionism.org.il/about_us/activity.asp?id=353 Israel Expo Day] organised by the [http://www.zionist.org.uk/new/cms/?id=23 Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland] , which promoted it as a way "to support Israel’s vibrant trade...to make a difference to the actual future of Israel." [ [http://www.somethingjewish.co.uk/articles/2074_israel_expo_day.htm Israel Expo Day] Something Jewish, 22 November 2006 ]

According to the project's own web site, the oil is produced in Israel by Jews, Arabs, Druze and Bedouin working together. The olives are grown in the foothills of the Carmel Mountains and pressed within hours of picking to produce a prize winning extra virgin olive oil. The charity claims that its activities promote peace, though this has been challenged by campaigners, who [http://www.palestinecampaign.org/psc_news.asp?d=y&id=202 accuse it] of misleadingly attaching a "peace" label to an Israeli product which relies on continuing injustices suffered by Palestinians.

Criticism

Critics argue that Arab workers being employed to work for an Israeli company does no more to promote a peaceful resolution of the Israel/Palestine conflict than Black workers being employed in the production of South African gold, wine or diamonds did to end Apartheid. Under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank, Palestinian olive groves are regularly destroyed and uprooted, farmers are denied access to their own land while checkpoints and discriminatory regulations routinely disrupt Palestinian economic life. Olive trees and oil have been central to many disputes in the occupied territories with [http://www.american.edu/ted/ice/olive-tree.htm well documented accounts of the destruction of Palestinian olive groves] by both [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/873850.html Israeli settlers] and [http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,473147,00.html the Israeli Army] .

The Charities Advisory Trust has been asked [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2007/dec/01/moneysupplement1 Please join the battle against 'Peace Oil'] Debbie Fink, The Guardian, 1 December 2007] [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,2223925,00.html War of words over an oil named Peace] Mark Tran, The Guardian, 7 December 2007] to explain which disadvantaged communities benefit from this enterprise and to justify their claims about the benefits of Peace Oil. It has been suggested that the oil is a distraction from [http://www.zaytoun.org/ fairly traded oil being being produced by Palestinian farmers in the occupied territories] .

An unrelated product, marketed in the USA as [http://www.peaceoil.net/ Peace Oil] , is produced from Palestinian olives, and marketed in cooperation with Israeli and Palestinian Fair Trade groups. According to supporters, "Unlike the London version, it is mostly olive oil from the West Bank where economic assistance is most needed". [ [http://www.olives101.com/2007/04/01/peace-olive-oil-is-now-available-in-usa/Peace Olive Oil available in USA] Olives and Olive Oil News From All Around The World]

External links

* [http://www.peaceoil.org Peace Oil website]
* [http://www.zaytoun.org/ Fairly traded olive oil from the occupied territories from Zaytoun]
* [http://www.charitiesadvisorytrust.org.uk Charities Advisory Trust website]
* [http://www.american.edu/ted/ice/olive-tree.htm Uprooting Olive Trees in Palestine, report from American University, Washington DC]
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2229936,00.html Guardian article: Is charity Peace Oil really the best way to help the Middle East? 20/12/2007]
* [http://www.palestinecampaign.org/files/newsmagazines/PN_Autumn_Winter_2007.pdf Palestine Solidarity Campaign newsletter- criticism of "Peace Oil", Autumn/Winter 2007]

References