Story Archives of 'Middle East'

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been edged out of the U.S. headlines in recent weeks, but the world turns there, too. Today, Israel will reportedly pull out of disputed areas in the northern corner where Israel borders Syria and Lebanon. The prime minister of Israel is being investigated for corruption. A U.S. presidential candidates still throw the occassional nod to support Israel in the face of brazen threats from Iran.

Peace may still seem a far way off. But a grassroots businessman in Boston has an idea for building peace and prosperity in the Middle East, while protecting the environment and defending workers' rights - just by buying a t-shirt.

Ask Adam Nieman what he does for a living, and he'll offer a response that's a little bit... different.

"Well, I make organic cotton t-shirts, at a Palestinian-owned factory, on Virgin Mary Street in Bethlehem," Nieman said.

How did a 51-year-old, Jewish-American, Harvard drop-out find himself peddling organic couture from the West Bank? It all started in 2001, when the longtime Bostonian sold his roofing business, took out a loan against his house, and founded No Sweat Apparel, a company that sells items made in sweatshop-free unionized factories in the United States, and in developing nations like Indonesia, South Africa, Argentina, and Palestine.

The “Made in Bethlehem” t-shirts in No Sweat's stockroom are made of soft-combed, Indian cotton – certified organic by a Dutch NGO -- and come blank, or printed with a Japanese proverb: "Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare."

Nieman, a lifelong political activist, sees his shirts as a way to promote peace and prosperity in the Middle East, "because young men with guns, and without jobs is a recipe for violence," Nieman said. "And while economic development isn't a substitute for a diplomatic solution, no diplomatic solution can be sustained without a sustainable Palestinian economy."

And right now, that economy is anything but "sustainable." About half of Palestinians are without jobs. The once-thriving textile business is now stagnant. So when Nieman learned about this factory on Virgin Mary Street, where the workers all belonged to the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions, he quickly booked a flight there.

It was July 2006, and the war in Lebanon broke out while his plane was in the air. But Nieman landed safely, and was whisked past the checkpoints to the Arja Textile Company, which went sweatshop-free in 2005. Today, it employs 100 knitters, dyers and sewers, and about 50 subcontractors, all of whom receive above-minimum wage plus paid holidays and health care.

Since the factory can't compete globally against sweatshops in, say, China or Bangladesh, he's mainly done business with Israelis. Of course, working with an American businessman was not easy. The West Bank is landlocked, so they have to use Israeli ports, and at one checkpoint Israelis confiscated several shipments of fabric dye, which they suspected were ingredients for bombs.

It took a handful of Israeli government officials to grease the wheels, such as Nadav Tamir, Israel's Consul General to New England. "A strong economy for the Palestinians... more empowering for the moderates rather than the extremists," Tamir said, "is something that we see as important for us, for the Palestinians, for the region and for peace."

But Adam Nieman's having a bit of trouble with business. While the “Made in Bethlehem” line has received plenty of praise and customers, Nieman's had a tough time finding investors. As a result, No Sweat Apparel's been losing money for the last year and a half. But Nieman, who describes himself as more of a “progressive” Jew than an “observant” one, is keeping the faith.

"What we're doing, most folks consider slightly less risky than betting on peace in the Middle East," Nieman said. "But I would say it's a lot less risky! I mean, the fact that we've got common ground, for Jews, Muslims, Christians and aetheists, on Virgin Mary Street, in Bethlehem, it's what most people of faith would consider a miracle."

(Photos from No Sweat Apparel)

Manchester native Adam Harmon visited Israel as a teenager in 1984. Six years later, he moved to the country and joined its Army. He served at a time of escalating violence in the region. He writes about his experiences in his new book, Lonely Soldier: The Memoir of an American in the Israeli Army. Harmon is back in the U.S. now, but as a reservist, he could still be called back to serve at any time. We'll talk with him about his experience in the Israeli military and get his take on the current hostility in the Middle East.

A new theater production at the University of New Hampshire tries to uncover what it means to be a Palestinian today. The play's script is flexible to adapt to up-to-the-minute news from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and all the dialogue is ripped from recent blog entries and news articles found all across the internet. We'll talk with the man behind the play. David Kaye is head of Acting and Directing for UNH's Department of Theatre and Dance.

We'll also talk with musician Bob Lord of the band Dreadnaught about his new solo CD of music he's created for Film, TV and Video Games. It's aptly titled Audio for Film TV and Games.

Our guests talk about the ways in which democracy may take shape in Iraq and what it might take to get there. Laura's guests are Martin Menke, Associate Professor of History at Rivier College and Phillip Walker, International Lawyer and Development Consultant with specialty in law and politics in the Middle East. He recently returned from Iraq where he participated in a study on holding elections for a new Iraqi government.

Donald Johnson of Deering spent 30 plus years teaching Asian Studies, Globalization and World History at NYU. He joins John to talk about the culture and history of the Middle East and the concept of the "New American Empire.?