S3, E4: Uprooting our Past, Present and Futures
Uprooting our past, present and futures
Thursday 18th February 2021
We were delighted to welcome old friends Heather and Taysir from Zaytoun, along with Amos trustee Gemma Bell, for a special webinar about food, farming, landscape and community in Palestine.
The title speaks to a double reality: Palestinian farmers’ deep rootedness in their land, and the constant threat of being uprooted by occupation. In the Jordan Valley and across the West Bank, Palestinian farmers face ongoing difficulties — land confiscation, restricted access to water, settler violence and the daily struggle to remain on land their families have worked for generations.
Zaytoun works with Palestinian farmers to bring their produce — olive oil, za’atar, almonds, freekeh — to UK markets, creating economic opportunities and building solidarity through trade. But it's more than commerce. Every jar of olive oil represents resistance, connection to land and the refusal to be erased.
This conversation explored what it means to farm under occupation, why supporting Palestinian agriculture matters and how food connects us across borders.
Our guests:
- Taysir Arbasi: Zaytoun
- Heather Masoud: Zaytoun
- Gemma Bell: Amos Trust trustee
