Conflict Disrupts Ramallah Partnership, But Other Relationships Endure
May 23, 2002, New York, New York—Despite escalating violence, PeaceWorks, the “not-only-for-profit” American company that promotes peace through business, has been able to carry on its business ventures among Arabs and Israelis.
While many co-existence initiatives are on hold, PeaceWorks’ joint Arab-Israeli business ventures in the Middle East stubbornly persist. The Middle East is home to PeaceWorks’ flagship venture, which manufactures the Meditalia and Moshe & Ali’s lines of spreads and pestos through mutual cooperation among Arabs and Israelis. PeaceWorks business co-existence initiatives continue during these difficult times thanks to the resourcefulness and determination of its Israeli and Palestinian trading partners.
“It is impossible to start any new ventures in the current environment but our established ventures show greater resilience than we even anticipated,” remarked PeaceWorks’ founder and CEO, Daniel Lubetzky.
PeaceWorks’ spreads and pestos are produced by a Jewish-owned Israeli company that buys its raw materials from Arab trading partners. The olives, olive oil, and basil pesto are grown and processed in Palestinian villages, the glass jars are purchased from an Egyptian manufacturer and the sundried tomatoes are imported from Turkey. Despite the tensions in the Middle East, the Israeli company continues to work with its Arab and Muslim suppliers.
“Our Arab trading partners are as eager as we are to make money and say no to violence and hatred. I talk with my Turkish and Palestinian suppliers every week,” said Yoel Benesh, the Israeli manufacturer.
Nonetheless, PeaceWorks’ ventures have been affected by the current situation. The Israeli factory can no longer buy its olive oil from its Palestinian trading partner in Ramallah, as the current situation has made it almost impossible for civilians or products to cross in and out of the West Bank. As a substitute, they decided to purchase olive oil and olives from Um el Fahem, a Palestinian village within the Green Line.
Still, even this arrangement is precarious. “I used to not think about these things eight years ago, when we started our venture with PeaceWorks,” said Benesh. “But now I have three children, and when I have to meet Abdullah, I do get nervous about snipers and attacks by extremists.”
“There is no other choice,” said Abdullah Gonem, the Palestinian trader in Um El Fahem. “We are 100% committed to work together and must show that more can come from cooperation than killings.”
Since 1994, PeaceWorks has successfully promoted its message of co-existence through commerce, while at the same time producing a wide range of products ranging from chocolate bars to spreads. The underlying message in the PeaceWorks business model comes from its commitment to act as a catalyst to ensure the birth and success of companies and products manufactured through joint ventures among neighbors striving to co-exist. Current projects include joint ventures between Arabs and Israelis in the Middle East, as well as interracial ventures in South Africa.