Palestinian crafts,
beyond borders.

We knew him from our previous trips to Palestine. His shop was colorful, full of all kinds of traditional items, and emblematic of Jerusalem’s Old City. He crafted everything by hand.

His daily life struck us: talent, magnificent creations, a shop in the heart of one of the most visited cities in the world… and almost no tourists stepping through his door.

So, we made him an offer: to try selling some of his creations online.

Sa’ad agreed right away, without any particular expectations. If it worked, great. If not, so be it.

For those who remember, we started with keychains and earrings adorned with semi-precious stones. We’d buy his one-of-a-kind creations, photograph them at home to show them off to their best advantage, and then post them on Instagram.

We had no website, no team, no help, and no experience. Orders were placed via private message. Then we’d mail them out.

And then we bought a notebook.

A little notebook to write down each order by hand. I remember the day I bought it: it made my husband and my father-in-law smile to see me getting so organized for a project that had barely gotten off the ground.

Little by little, and thanks to you, the pages filled up. Customers were satisfied, spread the word about our initiative, and began asking for other products.

A few years later, that little notebook we’d initially smiled at was completely full.

Palestinement was born.

We were able to create the missing link.

Finding artisans, merchants, and products, meeting with them, buying directly from them—without haggling over prices so they can get the most out of their work—advancing the money, and arranging for delivery to us.

Then comes all the behind-the-scenes work: photographing and showcasing the products, telling their stories, creating content, finding customers, managing orders and payments, packing, shipping internationally, and providing customer service.

Palestinement handles this entire process.

This allows artisans to focus on their creations, shop owners to keep their stores running, and their products to reach you.

On one side, Palestinian artisans and shop owners with products to sell.

On the other, people who genuinely want to buy Palestinian products.

In between: Palestinement.

This pressure is constant in Jerusalem.

In the Old City, the occupying forces regularly carry out intimidation operations in the souk, notably by threatening merchants who display Palestine-related items—such as a map, a flag, its colors, a slogan, or simply a symbol—with prosecution and imprisonment.

And these threats don’t always remain just threats.

One of the printers we work with bore the brunt of the occupation forces’ actions firsthand. For printing maps of Palestine—not intended for Palestinement—his workshop was completely destroyed. He was imprisoned, and his son had both arms broken.

That is why, for a Palestinian merchant, owning or displaying certain products poses a real risk.

Some of our artisans therefore no longer keep them in their shops. They hide them elsewhere, for fear of a raid.

Behind them, however, lie raw materials, hours of labor, and sometimes entire inventories that have become impossible to sell. We therefore try to sell these products first, so that the artisan does not lose either their work or the money they invested in it.

The Israeli occupation is a constant obstacle to our work. It affects how we work, communicate, move around, choose our partners and products, receive deliveries, and even display our goods.

Our work also involves constantly finding alternatives: a different route, a different means of transport, or a different way to sell.

The goal remains the same: to ensure that the restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation do not cut off Palestinian artisans and merchants from their customers.

In Gaza, too, we were able to showcase artisans’ creations to an international audience.

It was more complicated, of course, given the Israeli blockade imposed since 2006. But we still managed to establish a route.

At first, we asked aid workers to carry small quantities of goods with them. Later, delivery services were established.

It was expensive. It was slow. It was complicated.

But their creations managed to make it out of Gaza.

Since October 2023, the war and genocide in Gaza have made all activity impossible. Our artisans have been displaced, their workshops destroyed, and their lives upended by the bombings and destruction.

As a result, we are no longer receiving creations from Gaza. We look forward to the day when our artisans can once again live in safety, rebuild, create, and share their work with the world.

Shopping at Palestinement isn’t just about buying a product from Palestine.

It means choosing to support a Palestinian initiative built locally, enabling families to make a living from their work, businesses to continue operating, and artisanal traditions to be passed down through the generations.

It also means choosing high-quality, unique products that embody craftsmanship, culture, or history you won’t find just anywhere.

And above all, your purchase has a real impact on the daily lives of the people we work with.

Behind every order, money goes directly into a merchant’s cash register or into the hands of an artisan. This allows them to buy raw materials, cover daily expenses, keep a shop running, and continue to make a living from their work on their land.

We’ve seen it over the years: your orders truly change the daily lives of artisans, shop owners, and their families.

The Israeli occupation hinders Palestinians’ movement, trade, and access to the rest of the world.

Our work consists, in our own small way, of continuing to forge this connection despite everything.

The artisan creates. The shopkeeper opens their store. We take care of finding a way through. And you—you make it possible for this chain to reach its full potential.

Buying Palestinian products thus becomes a concrete way to circumvent the isolation imposed by the occupying power: it allows an economy to continue functioning, Palestinian businesses to remain open, and their products to circulate. It is a concrete form of resistance.

Every order that arrives at your doorstep means that, somewhere in Palestine, a person has been able to continue selling despite the obstacles placed in their path.

And that, somewhere in the world, someone has chosen not to let Palestine be cut off from the rest of the world.