Nestled in the rolling hills of the small Christian village of Taybeh, in the occupied West Bank, the first micro-brewery in the Middle East holds their annual Oktoberfest.
The Taybeh Oktoberfest is a time to forget war and occupation. You won’t find the usual oom-pah-pah bands and lederhosen-clad-bros chugging steins. People from all ages, gender, ethnicity and religion are there enjoying local music, food and of course, having a tipple.
The Taybeh brewery was established in 1994 - just after the signing of the Oslo Accords by the Khoury family who returned to their Palestinian homeland from America to found the Taybeh brewery.
Today, sixty percent of the beer is sold in the West Bank, 30 per cent goes to Israel and the remaining ten percent is exported to Spain, Britain, Chile, Japan, Germany and the US. They produce a range of flavoured hand-crafted brews reflective of Palestinian produce including wild za’atar, sumac, lemon, sage, anise, peppers and dead sea salt, with all varieties brewed according to German purity laws.
The neighbouring country of Israel, however, is not simply a market for Taybeh: It is an occupying force for Palestinians.
Brewing under occupation is not always smooth sailing. From Israeli imposed water restrictions, importing and exporting issues, not having control over borders, social constraints, technological difficulties - they have it all.
But Taybeh sees beer as a small contribution to coexistence. It brings together Israelis and Palestinians — Christians, Jews and Muslims, alike. The alcohol-free variety is halal, which permits Muslims, more than 90 percent of the brewery's neighbours, to drink it. They even have a Kosher variety for the Jewish market.
This story is about inclusivity, resilience and peacebuilding through the shared love of beer.