Taybeh, West Bank ? This Palestinian village celebrates Oktoberfest each year even though it’s a tiny Christian enclave in a Muslim-majority area, under Israeli occupation.

But on Saturday, Israeli Jews were among those sipping the signature, honey-colored Palestinian beer, providing an unlikely sight after years of forced separation at the height of Israeli-Palestinian fighting.

Held in the tiny Christian village of Taybeh — the name of the village, and the beer, means “tasty” in Arabic — the two-day beer festival attracted thousands of Palestinians, as well as revelers from as far as the U.S. and Japan, and as close as Israel.

After the years of violence, the chance to mingle over a beer was a welcome change for some.

“Normally I go to demonstrations. It’s nice to drink beer instead,” said Natasha Dudinski, a 43-year-old Israeli from Jerusalem.