Monday, October 26, 2009

Characters Unite

Characters Unite

Economic Conditions and the Future of Palestine

The Palestine Center invites you to a briefing "Economic Conditions and the Future of Palestine" with Mr. Bassem Khoury Former Minister of National Economy, Palestinian Authority

12:30 - 2:00
Thursday, October 29
The Palestine Center
2425 Virginia Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

202.338.1958 (Jerusalem Fund)
202.338.1290 (Palestine Center)



This briefing is free and open to the public. A light lunch will be served to registered guests at 12:30 p.m. The briefing and question/answer period will be from 1:00-2:00.

Registration is required. Unregistered guests will not be admitted. To register, click here or call 202.338.1958 ext.11 by noon Wednesday, November 28.

Stay connected with the events of the Palestine Center even if you cannot make it to Washington. You can view the video of this and all other Palestine Center events shortly after they take place. View the videos of previous events online by clicking here.

Bassem Khoury is the outgoing Minister of National Economy (MoNE) for the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. Before his appointment, the Minister was Chairman of the Federation of Industries. He founded the Palestine Insurance Company, Pharmacare Premium Malta and Pharmacare PLC. He sits on the Boards of Birzeit University and St. Eves Jerusalem Human Rights Legal Centre.

The Palestine Center is an independent think-tank committed to communicating reliable and objective information about the Palestinian political experience to American policy makers, journalists, students and the general public. Established in 1991, it is the educational program of the Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development. The Palestine Center brings together people and resources within the American and Palestinian communities to educate about Palestine and the Palestinian peoples ongoing quest for sovereignty on their land, civil and political rights and an end to Israeli occupation. The need for an organization such as The Palestine Center can be found in the effects of the economic, cultural and political oppression Palestinians have endured and which continues on a daily basis in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the surrounding refugee camps and for Palestinians world-wide as they struggle to retain their homeland. Palestinians ability to maintain their daily lives and strengthen their democratic political system depends on international humanitarian and non-governmental organizations such as The Palestine Center.

Check out the Palestine Center Blog. You can also follow on Twitter and on Facebook.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Hummus World Record!

Lebanese chefs prepared a massive plate of hummus weighing over two tons Saturday that broke a world record organizers said was previously held by Israel — a bid to reaffirm proprietorship over the popular Middle Eastern dip.

"Come and fight for your bite, you know you're right!" was the slogan for the event — part of a simmering war over regional cuisine between Lebanon and Israel, which have had tense political relations for decades.
Lebanese businessmen accuse Israel of stealing a host of traditional Middle Eastern dishes, particularly hummus, and marketing them worldwide as Israeli.
"Lebanon is trying to win a battle against Israel by registering this new Guinness World Record and telling the whole world that hummus is a Lebanese product, its part of our traditions," said Fady Jreissati, vice president of operations at International Fairs and Promotions group, the event's organizer.

Hummus — made from mashed chickpeas, sesame paste, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic — has been eaten in the Middle East for centuries. Its exact origin is unknown, though it's generally seen as an Arab dish. But it is also immensely popular in Israel — served in everyday meals and at many restaurants — and its popularity is growing around the globe.
The issue of food copyright was raised last year by the head of Lebanon's Association of Lebanese Industrialists, Fadi Abboud, when he announced plans to sue Israel to stop it from marketing hummus and other regional dishes as Israeli.

But to do that, Lebanon must formally register the product as Lebanese. The association is still in the process of collecting documents and proof supporting its claim for that purpose.
Lebanese industrialists cite, as an example, the lawsuit over feta cheese in which a European Union court ruled in 2002 the cheese must be made with Greek sheep and goats milk to bear the name feta. That ruling is only valid for products sold in the EU.

Abboud says that process took seven years and realizes Lebanon's fight with Israel is an uphill battle. Meanwhile, he says, events like Saturday's serve to remind the world that hummus is not Israeli. "If we don't tell Israel that enough is enough, and we don't remind the world that it's not true that hummus is an Israeli traditional dish, they (Israelis) will keep on marketing it as their own," he said Saturday.

Some 300 chefs were involved in preparing Saturday's massive ceramic plate of hummus in a huge tent set up in downtown Beirut. The white-uniformed chefs used 2,976 pounds (1,350 kilograms) of mashed chickpeas, 106 gallons (400 liters) of lemon juice and 57 pounds (26 kilograms) of salt to make the dish, weighing 4,532 pounds (2,056 kilograms).
It was not clear what the former Israeli record was, and organizers gave conflicting reports on when it was made. But chefs and visitors broke into cheers and applause when a representative from the Guinness Book of World Records presented Abboud with a certificate verifying Lebanon had broken the previous record. The plate was then decorated with the red, green and white Lebanese flag.

A similar attempt to set a new world record will be held Sunday for the largest serving of tabbouleh, a salad made of chopped parsley and tomatoes, that Lebanon also claims as its own.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Thanks Kareem!

Congratulations to Kareem Shora, ADC National Executive Director. He has been appointed as Senior Policy Adviser for the US Department of Homeland Security and will be leaving ADC as of October 23.

Thank you for your outstanding service and best wishes for a bright future at the DHS!