An Israeli pub has faced a torrent of abuse on social media after announcing it will sell Palestinian beer, Haaretz has reported.
When the Libira Brewpub in Haifa posted on social media that for a limited period it would be selling a local beer produced at the Shepherd's Brewery in Ramallah, it seemed like an ordinary occurrence. Libira, which produces its own beers, regularly offers customers the chance to sample diverse beverages, including those produced in Scotland, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
However, on this occasion, the decision to stock a Palestinian product did not go down well with many of their customers. The pub’s Facebook page was soon overrun with abusive comments, and calls to boycott the establishment.
According to Haaretz, commenters declared: “Let me know when you stop selling this beer so I’ll think about coming back.”
Another wrote: “All proceeds go to terrorism.”
In spite of the online abuse, the owners of the pub have remained defiant, suggesting that their business is better off without such negative attitudes.
“When you see something like, ‘We won’t drink beer that’s made from the blood of Jews’ – come on,” owner Leonid Lipkin told Haaretz.
“And you know what? If we get less customers who think like that, we won’t really be sorry – the air in the place will be fresher.”
The port city of Haifa, where the pub is located, has a significant Palestinian Arab minority and is often held up as an example of largely successful Arab-Israeli coexistence.
Based in the small town of Birzeit, north of Ramallah, the Shepherd’s Brewery last year hosted a beer festival, with over a thousand attendees.
Christian Palestinians have gained a reputation locally for their alcoholic products. Taybeh beer, Shepherd’s local competitor, is ubiquitous throughout the West Bank, and is even exported to America and Japan.
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