The humble olive w/ Robert Massoud

The East is a Podcast

Robert Massoud is the founder of Zatoun, which bottles and distributes olive oil from Palestine to North America. He also ran Beit Zatoun House, a cultural centre and meeting place in downtown Toronto for many years. Zatoun is a grassroots, volunteer-powered initiative launched in 2004. As North America's longest-standing source for fair trade Palestinian olive oil, Zatoun uses this essential staple as a symbol of solidarity, resilience, and cultural connection. The organization not only helps Palestinian farmers earn a livelihood under challenging conditions, but also sparks meaningful dialogue across continents. Zatoun is behind impactful projects like Trees for Palestine, which plants 10,000s olive trees each year in Palestine, and Project Hope, offering creative arts therapy to children in refugee camps. Since its inception, Zatoun has invested close to $600,000 into these efforts, blending advocacy with practical support for communities living under occupation. Check out this 4-part radio documentary. The Beit Zatoun legacy site offers event archives using the Wayback Machine and media articles. Consider supporting the show www.patreon.com/east_podcast