Israeli rabbi declares Palestinian beer is kosher

DEVOUT Muslims may shun it, but an Israeli rabbi has said the first Palestinian beer is kosher. Palestinian businessman Nadim Khoury's Taybeh brew is already savoured in more secular circles in the West Bank and in some bars around Israel. But without a stamp of approval declaring the beer kosher, many Israeli hotels and restaurants catering to observant Jewish guests could not serve it. Avraham Diesser, the rabbi of a Jewish settlement near the Palestinian town of Ramallah in the West Bank, told Reuters news agency this week he would provide orthodox certification for the beer and make regular visits to ensure there are no non kosher ingredients.