Jahalin Communities Milk Pasteurization Center

In 2022, a dairy center was established in Jericho that collects goat and sheep milk from the Bedouin communities in the area. Every morning, a refrigerated truck passes between the communities and purchases milk from the families, each according to their ability - and transports it to the center.
At the center, the milk is pasteurized using a modern array of machines. Goat cheeses, yogurt, labneh, and jamid are produced from it in the best of Bedouin tradition, which has lasted for centuries. Production is carried out at a rate of hundreds of liters per day, which are transformed into approximately 300 kg of particularly high-quality labneh and other dairy products, after pasteurization, professional packaging, and quality control.
The produce is marketed to the Palestinian market and to tourists visiting the Jahalin communities. All proceeds go back to support the communities as part of a non-profit social business venture.
The initiative to establish the dairy center grew out of increasing livelihood difficulties in the Bedouin communities. In recent years, young shepherds have frequently encountered restrictions on access to traditional grazing areas, and herds have been reduced to a level where commercialization of milk has become less profitable. The dairy center also creates a livelihood option for households with small herds, while at the same time helping to preserve the Bedouin cheese-making tradition that is in danger of disappearing.
Although the initiative, planning and fundraising are the responsibility of the “Friends of Jahalin,” the implementation is the responsibility of the Jahalin communities themselves, with the guidance and support of the Civic Forum Institute. Since October 7, 2023, the center’s activity has decreased, due to numerous checkpoints throughout Judea and Samaria that make it difficult for engineers to reach work and for the regular distribution of dairy products.