IMEU : Customs & Traditions

West Bank Brewery celebrates success (Nour Odeh, Al Jazeera)

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:39:50 PST

Taybeh is a Palestinian town deeply rooted in history and cut off by Israel's separation wall, but life under occupation has not stopped them from brewing a prize-winning beer. The beer made at Taybeh Brewery - named for the town where it was first brewed and, incidentally, the Arabic word for "delicious" - is not only popular among Palestinians, but has a following across the world. Taybeh beer has proven to be the inspiration of what is becoming a modern-day tradition for the village.

Families celebrate academic excellence amidst the siege (Rami Almeghari, The Electronic Intifada)

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:21:00 PST

The Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Education announced the results of the annual tawjihi -- the general secondary school examination -- on 21 July. Graduating high school students take exams either in the science stream or humanities stream, with those getting the highest grades best able to compete for university places. It was the first time since Hamas's takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007 that the Ministry announced result for both the West Bank and Gaza.

Jerusalem in the eyes of Palestinian children (Rania Filfil, This Week in Palestine)

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:24:12 PST

They all live less than an hour from Jerusalem and yet visiting the city is beyond their reach. They are children between the ages of 7 and 18, and Jerusalem to them is some kind of an imaginary city, although geographically close to their place of residence, Ramallah. They are all students at the American School of Palestine; many of them know other places such as the United States, Canada, and Europe very well. They have toured the world, and yet the so-called capital of their land remains unknown.

July's Palestine International Festival (This Week in Palestine)

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:10:01 PST

July is the time of the annual Palestine International Festival - notably the largest and most prestigious event of its kind on the cultural scene, showcasing both local and international artists. This year is special in that the festival is an integral part of the Al-Quds, Capital of Arab Culture programme of activities that celebrates the concept, "Jerusalem unites us and should not divide us."

The untold stories (IMEU)

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:51:00 PST

As the 61st anniversary of the Nakba, or "the Catastrophe," approaches, the IMEU presents a look at some of the untold stories behind one of the most important - and tragic - dates in Palestinian history. Several Palestinian refugees share their stories of loss, separation, and exile that illuminate the pain behind the day that changed the lives of so many Palestinians.

Video: Gazan man takes to the streets to promote national unity (Al Jazeera English)

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 10:55:46 PST

While the leaders of the various Palestinian factions are in Cairo discussing a unity government - one Gazan has taken it upon himself to heal the rifts. Yasser Meheissen, known as the Sheikh of National Unity, has collected 270,000 signatures urging factions to unite under one voice - and spends his days promoting unity from the ground-up, by engaging ordinary Palestinians on the streets of Gaza.

In photos: Christmas in Bethlehem (IMEU)

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:35:06 PST

As the Christmas season approaches, the IMEU presents a collection of photos from Bethlehem, the southern West Bank town that Christians revere as the birthplace of Jesus Christ. A scenic town with an ancient pedestrianized Old City at its core, Bethlehem attracts tourists to its holy sites - among them the Church of the Nativity and the Shepherd's Fields - and the cluster of handicraft shops around Manger Square.

Fair trade tranforms the lives of Palestinian farmers (IMEU)

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:54:18 PST

Canaan Fair Trade uses the fair trade concept to empower marginalized Palestinian rural communities caught in conflict so they can sustain their livelihoods and culture, and in the process has vastly improved the lives of thousands of Palestinian farmers and their extended families across the West Bank. By giving incentives to produce a high quality product, Canaan and its partners have worked to reestablish traditional sustainable farming in Palestine.

Palestinian fair trade company opens state-of-the-art facility near Jenin (IMEU)

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 09:49:37 PST

Canaan Fair Trade - a Palestinian producer and supplier of olive oil and other delicacies produced by over 1,700 small farmers in the West Bank - recently hosted a festival marking the end of the harvest season, as well as the grand opening of its recently constructed factory and processing facility nestled on four acres of land in the heart of olive country, near the village of Burqin.

Palestinian city celebrates as one-millionth tourist for 2008 arrives (Ma'an News)

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 05:31:11 PST

The Nativity Square in Bethlehem erupted in celebrations after the one-millionth tourist of the year 2008 arrived in the city. Bethlehem's tourism industry has suffered drastically since 2000, when an outbreak of violence saw the number of visitors arriving in the city plummet. Construction of Israel's separation wall - which divides the town from Jerusalem - has also had dire effects on the city's tourism sector.