A Palestinian brewery has launched a new lager for sale in 1,600 Co-op stores across the UK, defying water shortages and settler attacks in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The family-owned Taybeh Brewing Co has partnered with Scottish firm Brewgooder to launch Sun & Stone, named after the region's warm climate and rocky terrain.
The beer will be stocked in Co-op stores from September 10, brewed at zero profit with all proceeds supporting Taybeh's local community and the Disasters Emergency Committee's humanitarian work in Gaza. Madees Khoury, the region's first and only female brewmaster, leads the brewing alongside the Scottish partnership.
Escalating attacks
The brewery faces mounting challenges as violence escalates in the West Bank. Madees Khoury said settlers recently set two cars on fire and spray-painted threats in Hebrew, attempting to break into homes.
The spring providing most of Taybeh's water was attacked by settlers at least three times in July. "They've broken the computers. They've smashed the cameras. They've broken one of the main water pipelines," Khoury said.
The 39-year-old brewmaster described getting raw materials as increasingly challenging, with all imports and exports controlled by Israel. "Things are getting worse, but we're still here, still making beer," she said. "Our brewery provides jobs and much-needed distraction."
Historic resilience
Taybeh Brewing Co is the oldest microbrewery in the Middle East, founded in 1994 in a West Bank village by Nadim and David Khoury. Former Palestinian president Yasser Arafat reportedly supported the brewery early on, seeing it as a way to reduce Palestinian dependence on Israeli alcohol imports.
Glasgow Live reports this marks the largest beer launch since the Chernigivske Ukrainian humanitarian appeal. During the Second Intifada, the founder reportedly used a donkey to carry beer past checkpoints to maintain deliveries.
Scottish partnership
The collaboration began when Brewgooder co-founder James Hughes read about Taybeh two years ago. "When we first read about Taybeh, we were completely moved by their resilience," Hughes said. "They're incredible people who deserve to have their story told."
Canaan Khoury, Madees's brother who studied mechanical engineering at Harvard University, returned to help run the brewery despite describing current conditions as "total anarchy". "We joke darkly that we're building a brewery for settlers to take one day - but still, we build," he said.
Co-op's decision to stock the beer follows weeks after its members voted to end trade with Israeli businesses. Paul Gerrard, Co-op's director of campaigns, said the partnership represents "such a great initiative to support economic stability" in conflict-affected regions.
Sources used: "PA Media", "Birminghammail", "Glasgow Live", "gbnews.com" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
