Introducing PalBox !
Our solidarity community is growing and has made much positive progress over the years like the rise of the BDS campaign, an increase in campus activism and the increased visibility of Palestinian voices in the media. But as Sam Bahour highlighted in my interview with him, we can’t can’t overlook the Palestinian economy which has been strangled and blockaded just like Palestinian lives and property. With that in mind I’ve partnered with the Northern California chapter of the International Solidarity Movement (NorCal ISM) to bring you Palbox!
Palbox is a totally new way to support Palestinian farmers, artisans, craftspeople and Palestinian nonviolent resistance that completely bypasses all Israeli control. Palbox is a gourmet gift box delivered four times a year to your doorstep and includes:
- a 25 oz bottle of Palestinian olive oil
- 2 bars of olive oil soap
- a bag of za’atar
- a different, hand-curated Palestinian cultural product (the first box will contain a downloadable album of music from Haidar Eid)
- a sterling silver piece of Arabic calligraphy jewelry.
The first Palbox ships December 1, just in time for the holidays. You must order during October to receive the December 1st shipment.
The challenge we had in creating Palbox was how to support Palestinians living in Gaza since it’s impossible to import goods due to the blockade. I decided the best way to overcome this challenge was to bring you downloadables from Gaza like music.
Here is my 10 minute “interview” with singer, BDS activist, and professor of Postcolonial and Postmodern Literature at Gaza’s al-Aqsa University, Haidar Eid, about his new album titled Gaza Blues: Hymns of Love, Death and Resistance. The album comes with the first Palbox. The reason “interview” is in quotes is that due to the inconsistent supply of electricity in Gaza, we could not do the interview over Skype as I have done in the past so I emailed him my questions and he recorded the answers:
Gaza Blues interview from One Democratic State Group on Vimeo.
Palbox is most of all an act of solidarity with Palestinians. The proceeds from the sale of Palbox products go to the Northern California chapter of the International Solidarity Movement, a Palestinian-led movement committed to resisting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land using nonviolent methods and principles. We cannot single handedly stop bombs from raining down on Gaza but we can vote with our pocketbooks by boycotting Israeli goods and buying Palestinian.
Wouldn’t it be great if you and everyone you knew ONLY used Palestinian olive oil ? Think about what that would mean for Palestinian farmers…
