June 2020 QUARTER
Written by Noa Dagoni & Erez Wagner.
June 2020 QUARTER
Written by Noa Dagoni & Erez Wagner.
A course on biodynamic beekeeping ended in June of 2024 in the village of Baqa al-Gharbia, where 17 graduates each received a hive containing a queen and a swarm of bees. The course, which began in February under the guidance of educator and expert Yossi Aud, founder of the Bees for Peace project, took place at the MAAN Workers Association’s Center in the Triangle region, managed by Wafa Tiara.
Israeli Policy Towards Palestinian Workers is wrong and Full of Contradictions, as it severely harms their need to make a living, and on the other hand, it destroys the Israeli economy without providing realistic alternatives.
In light of the total lockdown on the entry of Palestinian workers since the beginning of the war, two major labor organizations in Israel adopted a negative stance towards the return of Palestinian workers to their work in Israel.
MAAN joined other groups in filing a petition to the High Court of Justice against the Israeli government, demanding that authorities be held accountable to prevent the extreme exploitation of migrant workers, which could reach conditions of actual slavery. The petition, filed July 18th warns of the destructive impact of massive and unregulated importation of workers on the overall Israeli labor market, the severe harm to Palestinian workers’ ability to earn a living, and the expected damage to the Palestinian economy and regional security. The petitioners accuse the government of making these fateful decisions in secrecy.
17 inspiring women, both Arab and Jewish, participated in a unique course to learn about biodynamic beekeeping at MAAN’s office in Baqa al-Gharbiyeh (Triangle region, Israel). This project, consisting of six intensive sessions begun in May, and was the result of a longstanding collaboration between Sindyanna of Galilee and MAAN – Workers’ Organization, as part of the “Women and Work” project that MAAN has been running in the Triangle for 19 years.
Hana introduced me to Wafa Tayara from another nearby village, Kufr Kara. Wafa is an activist and the director of MAAN Workers Association’s program Women and Work. She is also the chairwoman of Sindyanna of Galilee, the only internationally certified Fair Trade social business in Israel.