These last years have been momentous ones in the Middle East. While wars and rumours of war abound and millions flee their homes, scattered to the winds in search of safe haven, the need for peace and reconciliation has never been greater.

In times of yore the olive branch was extended to ones enemy as a sign of good faith; and today, Palestine Peace Awareness Inc, the Canadian non-profit organization known colloquially as “Zatoun” is doing just that.

Zatoun hopes, they say, to transcend the abstract, geopolitical context of the Palestine-Israel situation, focusing instead on people and the ordinary, everyday lives they must lead.

Robert Massoud is a Palestinian-Canadian whose family immigrated to Canada when he was a child. He is the founder of Zatoun, an organization which imports fair trade Olive Oil from the West Bank to provide market opportunities for Palestinian goods, and works to bring a more accurate representation of life in Palestine.

Robert Massoud in the first half.

And; last week Justin Trudeau announced more Canadian troops would be sent to war ravaged Iraq. This adds to a growing global Canadian military presence. Whether “training” missions in Ukraine, or participating in Joint Task Forces like the one in Iraq, Canadian Forces are no longer the Pearsonian Peacekeepers of old. Today there are myriad “operations” in theatres from Fiji to Latvia, and now too a return to Africa with Operation PRESENCE in Mali.

Yves Engler is a Montréal-based activist, essayist, and author. His articles appear at Dissident Voice, The Palestine Chronicle, Rabble.ca, and Pacific Free Press among other places. Some of his nine book titles include: ‘A Propaganda System—How Canada’s Government, Corporations, Media and Academia Sell War and Exploitation’, ‘Canada in Africa — 300 Years of Aid and Exploitation’, and ‘The Ugly Canadian — Stephen Harper’s Foreign Policy’.

Yves Engler in the second half.

And; Victoria-based activist and CFUV Radio broadcaster at-large, Janine Bandcroft will be here at the bottom of the hour with the Left Coast Events Bulletin highlighting some of the good things to be gotten up to in and around our town in the coming week. But first, Robert Massoud and olives for peace in Palestine.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Thursday between 11-Noon Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.uvic.ca. He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.ca/

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