ISRA ABUZAYED: Founder of Zeit Bladi, a Palestinian Extra Virgin Olive Oil Who is Preserving Palestinian Heritage through Dynamic Storytelling  

Isra is a dynamic storyteller, entrepreneur, and comedian, deeply committed to preserving Palestinian heritage and uplifting her community.

At the heart of her work is Zeit Bladi, a grassroots initiative she founded four years ago to support Palestinian farmers through Palestinian Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This project, running annually over a six-month period, directly connects consumers to farmers, ensuring fair compensation and raising awareness about the cultural and economic significance of olive oil in Palestinian traditions. Isra actively participates in markets, events, and educational campaigns, using Zeit Bladi as a platform to tell the stories of the farmers, their struggles, and the deep-rooted connection between land, resilience, and identity. All profits are reinvested into Palestinian communities, helping sustain the livelihoods of those who continue to cultivate the land against all odds. You can follow her work at www.instagram.com/zeitbladi/

Zeit Bladi first began as a unique and educational gifting item. The olive oil is beautifully packaged within a mat black gift box with gold leaf writing and includes a passage on the significance of the olive oil to the Palestinian farmer. “This gift box is still our most loved product as Palestinians are proud to gift their beautiful produce.”- Isra AbuZayed 

“Every year, before the harvest arrives in late October the gift box is redesigned to reflect how Palestinians are feeling. This year, the box was designed with the ancient Palestinian olive trees in mind. Therefore the passage is written from the tree’s perspective: “What would the Palestinian olive trees say if they could speak?”

Beyond her advocacy, Isra is also a stand-up comedian, using humor as a means of storytelling and cultural expression. She has performed internationally, including at the Palestine Comedy Festival, touring Ramallah, Nablus, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem, where she brought laughter and joy to audiences while weaving in themes of heritage, identity, and diaspora experiences. Her comedic journey can be followed at @isratalks.

A passionate storyteller, Isra co-hosts a podcast dedicated to the experiences of Arab expatriates and third-culture kids. Through deeply personal narratives, she explores themes of belonging, cultural duality, and identity, capturing the voices of a generation caught between worlds. You can listen to her podcast at @hamburger.generation.

In addition to her creative and entrepreneurial work, Isra is also a PhD candidate and published researcher, with a focus on creativity in design education. Her research explores innovative ways to foster creative thinking in students, reflecting her lifelong dedication to storytelling, design, and cultural preservation.

Through Zeit Bladi, comedy, and storytelling, Isra continues to create spaces where heritage, humor, and history converge, ensuring that Palestinian voices and stories remain heard, celebrated, and preserved.She lives in Dubai. 

How proud are you of the Palestinian people? 

Growing up in Canada, my parents never let us forget who we were. Our Palestinian identity wasn’t just a story they told us—it was a legacy they expected us to carry. Every action, every interaction was a representation of our people, our culture, our resilience.

It’s a weight, yes, but also a privilege. When you grow up with a purpose larger than yourself, the world takes on a different hue—every step is intentional, every effort meaningful.

The Palestinian people are a testament to perseverance. Our history is written in olive groves, in poetry, in the undying spirit of a people who refuse to be erased. I carry that pride with me in everything I do, and in every space I enter, I hope to reflect the strength and beauty of our heritage.

Tell us about the culture and how resilient the people are during the challenges they are facing today. 

Palestinian culture is a tapestry woven from centuries of history, rich in hospitality, music, poetry, and cuisine. It is a culture deeply in tune with the land—where the olive harvest dictates the rhythm of the seasons and dishes are crafted in harmony with nature’s gifts.

Resilience is our birthright. Despite decades of adversity, our people have found ways to preserve their identity—through storytelling, embroidery, education, and craftsmanship. To be Palestinian is to carry the echoes of our ancestors in our voices and to plant the seeds of tomorrow despite the storms of today.

Our connection to the land is more than physical; it is spiritual. It sustains us. It reminds us that no matter what challenges arise, the roots hold strong.

Your heart has brought you to Zeit Bladi, a grassroot initiative to support the Palestinian farmers. How important is olive oil culturally and economically to Palestinian farmers? 

The story of Palestinian olive oil is the story of our people—rooted, resilient, and generational. The Nabali olive tree, which takes up to 20 years to bear fruit, is a testament to this. Each farmer plants not for himself, but for his children, and his children’s children. He tends to the trees his ancestors once nurtured, knowing that long after he is gone, they will continue to stand.

There is an Arab proverb: “They planted, and we ate. We plant, so they may eat.” This is the cycle of existence for Palestinian farmers. The olive tree is more than a source of livelihood; it is a symbol of endurance, a silent witness to history, a bridge between past and future.

Agriculture fuels the Palestinian economy, and olive oil is its lifeblood, making up 25% of the agricultural sector. Over 100,000 families rely on the olive harvest each year, yet due to restrictions, much of our production remains limited to traditional, mechanical methods, leaving so much untapped potential.

Zeit Bladi is a seasonal grassroots initiative, operating 4–6 months a year. Our olives come from a small family-run farm in the West Bank, and we package and distribute them from Dubai. We sell through Instagram, pop-ups, and markets across the UAE until the season’s harvest runs out. All the profits go toward supporting the Palestinian farmers through the Arab Group for the Protection of Nature, currently working on re-agriculturizing Gaza.

Each year, we expand our offerings, celebrating Palestinian olive oil in new ways:

1. The Zeit Bladi Gift Box –  $40 USDOur flagship product, crafted to educate people about the Palestinian olive oil harvest and its significance.

2. The Main Squeeze –$30 USD A 400ml chef’s squeeze bottle, making the season’s finest olive oil easy to use.

3. The Main Balm – $25 USD A simple, 100% organic olive oil and beeswax balm—just two ingredients, no compromise.

You can order on Instagram:  www.instagram.com/zeitbladi/

(Coming Soon in Ramadan) The Harvest Box – A special edition featuring our signature olive oil bottle paired with a deconstructed za’atar mix, inviting families to create their own blends and traditions.

Through Zeit Bladi, we don’t just sell olive oil; we tell a story—one of resilience, heritage, and an unwavering connection to the land.

“What would the Palestinian olive trees say if they could speak?”

I ask myself this question often, and the answer makes my heart ache.

If Palestinian olive trees could speak, they would whisper the stories of the hands that planted them—hands that once roamed their land freely, that tended to them with love, that passed down traditions through generations. They would tell of the day foreign forces arrived, trying to sever their roots, uproot their past, and yet—they stood. They endured.

They would cry for the farmers who now struggle to reach their groves, for the families that are kept from their land, for the harvests lost not to drought but to man-made barriers.

But above all, they would remind us of the famous Mahmoud Darwish excerpt: “If the olive trees knew that hands that planted them, their oil would become tears”

Your olive oil is beautifully packaged. Share the significance of the packaging. 

Thank you.

To me, the packaging is not just about aesthetics—it’s about storytelling. Every bottle, every box is a tribute to the farmers who, against all odds, continue to create something pure and beautiful.

I hope that when someone holds our olive oil, they don’t just see a product, but a legacy. That they read the inscription on the box and pause—if only for a moment—to reflect on the journey this oil has taken to reach them. That they acknowledge the hardship, the resilience, and the unwavering spirit of the Palestinian farmer.

It is more than oil in a bottle. It is history, struggle, and survival—preserved, honored, and shared. 

As the imitative grows and we expand our operations we hope to grow our shipping roots as well. Due to the fact that we are handling olive oil, there are some restrictions, but we are currently working to find solutions so that the beautiful harvest can be available to everyone. 

Beyond your advocacy you are also a stand-up comedian. What brought you to comedy? How is it being a female comedian in the Arab world? 

I stumbled into comedy two years ago when I joined Dubai’s top comedy school, Dubomedy. They helped me refine my voice, and before I knew it, I was on stage performing my first set. One of my early highlights was touring with the Palestinian Comedy Festival, bringing laughter to four major cities in the West Bank.

As a female comedian in the Arab world, I’ve actually found incredible support. Organizers actively seek out female acts to bring balance to their shows. It’s opened up amazing opportunities and exposure.

I book shows mainly during the olive oil off-season—between May and September—so if you’re in Dubai, come find me on stage!

Tell us about what we can find on your podcast Hamburger Generation. 

Hamburger Generation is a storytelling podcast I co-founded in 2017 with my friend Jamil. We share the experiences of third-culture Arab expats, navigating the world with an identity shaped by multiple cultures.

It’s about those defining moments—the funny, the awkward, the bittersweet—that make us who we are.

Recently, you were on one of my favorite shows, Hope It Helps Podcast with 

Khaled Abuljebain is the Founder of Hope It Helps Media Consulting. Take us through the experience. What did you enjoy the most? (Share a few takeaways.).

Being on Hope It Helps was fantastic. Khaled and I go way back—we’ve even hosted him on Hamburger Generation—so it was fun to see him in full ‘host mode.’

What struck me was how deeply he had researched the world of olive oil. His questions weren’t surface-level; they were thoughtful, insightful.

It was refreshing to talk about Zeit Bladi from a place of passion rather than sales. It felt like sitting with an old friend, reminiscing about a journey that has shaped me profoundly.

What is next for you? 

Zeit Bladi was born out of necessity—a need to showcase the beauty of Palestinian produce, to remind the world that despite everything, we are still creating.

I hope to see the initiative grow, to introduce more people to Palestinian olive oil, and to push the boundaries of how we use it. Whether through collaborations, product development, or wild new concepts—I’m open. If you have an idea, let’s make it happen.