Written by an international solidarity activist joining the 2024 Sumud and Solidarity Olive Harvest campaign, organised by the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC)

Union of Agricultural Workers Committee

In the context of Israeli occupation, UAWC promotes a form of resistance that tries to make life possible by developing agroecology and food sovereignty. UAWC supports farmers through:

• creating opportunities for farmers to access, rehabilitate and conserve their lands through cultivation
• establishing a seed bank and supplying seeds and seedlings – including olive tree seedlings
• developing infrastructure such as roads and irrigation systems
• stimulating income diversification and the (economic) empowerment of women headed families, as well as youth and women farming cooperatives
• recruiting volunteers where help is needed most

The olive harvest: a family tradition

The olive harvest in Palestine has historically been an important cultural tradition that unites families on their ancestral lands. Those who have moved to the city or even abroad return home to share the harvest, the sun, big feasts and a lot of joy and laughter with each other. Children are introduced to this important family tradition at a young age: the youngest children play with their cousins amidst the piles of olives, whilst the older children help their parents and grandparents with the harvest of trees that were often planted by ancestors long before they were born. Coffee, tea, juice, cookies, fruits and big meals (featuring lots of olive oil!) offer a break away from the intense labour under the hot sun, and unite the families in a circle of shared joy.

Rootedness in the land

The Palestinian people and olive trees have shared their lands for millennia, and they have grown a deeply reciprocal relationship. Olive trees grow in poor soil conditions, and Palestinians help them thrive by caring for and harvesting them. Simultaneously the trees care for their people: olives and their oil are a staple in Palestinian dishes and guarantee the livelihoods of many. Importantly, growing olive trees is an age old heritage practice that is passed between generations and unites members of the family young and old on their ancestral lands. Olive trees are said to span half of the West Bank and pre-genocide Gaza’s cultivated land. The olive trees represent the Palestinian resilience and rootedness in their lands. Despite facing tremendous dangers and difficulties, Palestinians continue to retain their strong connections to the land by visiting and harvesting their trees and replanting them when they have been destroyed. (Sources: 1, 2)

An important source of income

Palestine is renowned for its high quality olive oil, and many people rely on its production for their livelihoods. An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 Palestinian families rely on pickled and table olives, the production of olive oil and related cosmetics, such as soap, as their primary or secondary source of income. To some families, it even guarantees the entire annual income. Palestine’s already vulnerable economy has been crushed by the genocide in Gaza where nearly all infrastructure has been destroyed, and which has led to a disastrous decline in tourism to the West Bank. Many Palestinians used to be employed in ’48* but almost all work permits have been revoked since October 7, tripling West Bank unemployment rates. As such, olive revenue is critical to sustaining livelihoods. *’48 = 1948 occupied territories, a sensitive way of referring to ‘Israel’ (Sources: 1, 4, 5).

The olive harvest represents a big part of Palestinian identity and rootedness in their lands, and people have historically waited for this special time all year. Because of settler and army violence however, the harvest has become more dangerous and often impossible to complete. (Sources: 1)

Land grabbing

Area C comprises 60% of the land in the West Bank and is under full Israeli control. Most Palestinian cultivation and olive groves are concentrated here. Only 10% of the population (300,000 people) remains living in Area C. Restrictions on land, water education and healthcare access makes life on these lands increasingly difficult to sustain. People in Area C are furthermore highly prone to settler and army violence, including home evictions and demolitions leading to expulsion. 2.8 million people are pushed into the densely populated Area A and B, under civil control by the Palestinian Authority. Area B remains under ‘security control’ by Israel.

On top of the 1948 annexation of 78% of historic Palestine (the Nakba) and the genocide and annexation of Gaza taking place today, land grabbing in the West Bank is taking place through these mechanisms:

Illegal settlements, home to 700,000 often violent Israeli settlers, continue to expand everywhere but particularly in Area C. A third of the West Bank is declared ‘military firing zone’. The army can declare land a military firing zone at any time, and this is a commonly used way to force Palestinians off their lands during the harvest. Similarly, 7% of the West Bank is declared a ‘nature reserve’ and is off limits to Palestinians. Road blocks and checkpoints similarly limit access to land as well as economic activity – specifically of farmers whose villages and lands have been isolated through these mechanisms. 95% of the Jordan Valley – historically the ‘food basket’ of Palestine – is off-limits to Palestinians through these mechanisms. (Sources: 7, 8, 9, 10)

Meanwhile, Palestinians require permits to access, construct on or cultivate their lands. These permits are rarely given, especially since October 7.

Settler and army violence

Many West Bank villages have become surrounded or even ‘cornered’ by Israeli settlements which are often built on the tops of hills, on lands stolen from Palestinians. These locations give settlers a vantage point that allows them to detect and surveil Palestinians harvesting downhill. Trained in the army, backed by the government and driven by the belief that the land is rightfully theirs, settlers have increased the number and intensity of their attacks on Palestinian olive farmers since October 7. These attacks may involve verbal (death) threats and the theft of olives or expensive harvest equipment, but they are often physically violent. The weapon of choice may range from rocks to live ammunition, and the police and army will almost always condone or even amplify the violence. With little ‘safe areas’ remaining, the once joyful family gathering has become a stressful endeavour that leaves many Palestinians fearing for their lives.

Destruction of land and crops

Not only are Palestinian people subjected to physical violence; so are their olive trees. In attempts to undermine Palestinian livelihoods and erase their cultural history and rootedness in the land, olive trees and other crops that can guarantee food and economic sovereignty are often attacked. The most common attacks involve burning, cutting or uprooting trees, and most recently poisoning trees. Not only does this kill the trees, but it kills the soil life too and as such limits the cultivation of any crops. Since 2000, 3 million trees have been uprooted by Israelis.

Since 7 October…

… the intensity and frequency of attacks, surveillance and access restrictions has only increased. Backed by the powers of the US, Germany, Netherlands, UK, Italy and Canada, Israelis continue to act with complete impunity. Whilst all eyes are on Gaza, the genocide is slowly encroaching on the West Bank. Since October 7:

• 797 murdered* of which 168 children *
• > 6,250 injured *
• 1,423 settler attacks **
• > 120,000 fire arms distributed **
• 4,555 displaced due to destruction of property **
• 1,768 structures destroyed, seized or sealed **
• 86 new movement obstacles***
• >7x increase of settler violence involving firearms****
• 6x increase in IDF targeting civilians****
• largest military assault since 2nd Intifada in early 2000s*****

(Sources: 13 * = recorded on 01/12/2024, 14 ** = recorded on 07/10/2024, 15 *** = recorded on 25/09/2024, 16 **** = recorded on 03/2024, 17 ***** = recorded on 26/09/2024)

A spirit of resistance and resilience

Despite facing the daily terrors of death, arrest, expropriation and destruction, Palestinians continue to live and laugh, nourish their lands and their families and rebuild and replant what has been destroyed. Like the olive trees, they remain firmly rooted in their lands. Furthermore, strong systems of solidarity and community guarantee mutual aid and care for those in need. A critical example of resistance and resilience are the farming cooperatives that are sprouting in fertile soils. These cooperatives stimulate farmers – many of them women – towards food and economic sovereignty and reaffirming the custodianship to their lands.

The Land & Farming Cooperative in Burin

Please consider leaving a donation to the Land & Farming Cooperative in Burin that works to create sustainable farms, achieve food sovereignty, provide free education, and combat environmental destruction and exploitation of the land. With your help, we will raise €20,000 to support 20 women to establish their own farms. Every €1,000 raised enables a Palestinian woman to start her own farm and bring food and economic sovereignty to herself, her family and her community.

By creating alternative structures outside of the systems of capitalism and colonialism around them, the cooperative is wasting no time before realising its dream to build a thriving and healthy community and environment.

Sources

1. Mongabay, 2023. Palestinian olive farmers hold rights to their roots amid sure in settler attacks.
2. Middle East Monitor, 2023. Israel settlers uproot, destroy 70 ancient olive trees in the occupied West Bank.
3. B’Tselem. Restrictions on movement.
4. Atmos, 2023. The olive branch.
5. UNCTAD, 2024. Unemployment in West Bank nearly tripled in six months.
6. Anera. What are Area A, Area B, and Area C in the West Bank?
7. Al Jazeera, 2024. Ten maps to understand the occupied West Bank.
8. B’Tselem. Conquer and Divide. The shattering of Palestinian space by Israel.
9. Peace Now. 2022. The minister of defense approved the declaration of the largest nature reserve in 25 years in the West Bank.
10. Jordan Valley Solidarity. 2012. Military control.
11. B’Tselem. Settler violence = State violence.
12. Crisis Group, 2024. Stemming Israeli settler violence at its root.
13. Al Jazeera, 2024. Mapping 1,400 Israeli settler attacks in the West Bank over the past year.
14. Al Jazeera, 2024. Israel-Gaza war in maps and charts: live tracker.
15. OCHA, 2024. Fact sheet: Movement and acces in the West Bank, September 2024.
16. ACLED, 2024. Civilians or soldiers? Settler violence in the West Bank.
17. Al Jazeera, 2024. Deadly Israeli assault in the occupied West Bank.