Zatoun is a non-profit volunteer organization registered in Canada to import and sell symbolic products from or about Palestine to create awareness for a just peace for Palestine-Israel.  Proceeds are used to directly benefit Palestinian farmers and children living in occupied Palestine.

When Zatoun was first conceived as a project in 2003 the word “Palestine” was hardly mentioned or heard.  The reference was limited to “Palestinian” usually in the same sentence as “terrorist.” They were a mysterious, voiceless and disembodied people who hovered and never touch down on land.

Zatoun wanted to help change this impression by humanizing Palestinians and contextulizing Palestine.  It did this in a dimension of culture, of feeling, of realness which is absent from the usual barrage of words and images which Palestinians feel has portray them unfairly for 70 plus years.  Think of Zatoun as their voice telling their story. The olive is the ideal carrier for the message as it is the universal symbol of peace, warmth, light, divinity; and it represents the land of Palestine and its indigenous people.

Through its products and activities Zatoun helps to create a context based in ordinary everyday life to view and discuss the situation in Palestine-Israel. No longer is it an abstract geopolitical issue involving power elites and undefined national interest but something that Canadians and Americans can experience, learn and share.

The name “Zatoun” was chosen because it speaks directly to people through its Arabic character and direct translation to the word for olive.

Objectives from Zatoun’s charter: