Readers of this blog know we have a goal of building an independent Palestinian economy. This Foundation is not 'aid', we support two Palestinian nonprofits that are investing directly in farming communities and supporting the farmers own initiatives.

Sabeel's Summer 2015 issue of the Cornerstone on the Economy of Occupation is a good read from cover to cover. On page 12, author Nora Lester Murad addresses international aid and questions of dependency versus self reliance and connecting aid with the struggle for national liberation and human rights. She then writes:

We also need a critical approach to our own charitable contributions:

• Are we giving to international organizations when there are local organizations doing the same work? If so, why are we doing that, and what impact does it have on the capacity for local self-reliance?

• Are we giving to “emergency” needs (like food aid) instead of to longer-term (and harder) efforts to prevent food insecurity in the first place? If so, are we being fooled into supporting simplistic and ineffective approaches?

These are good questions. We encourage you to read the article and the entire issue of the Summer 2015 Cornerstone on the Sabeel website.