Planting hope

Last week the Joint Advocacy Initiative (JAI), where I volunteer, arranged the Olive Planting Program together with the Alternative Tourism Group. Over forty people came from Europe and the USA to plant olive trees and learn more about the situation of the Palestinians. In total we planted 1600 olive trees, all sponsored by individuals and groups from all over the world. The trees were planted in areas that are threatened to be taken in order to build settlements. In this way JAI aims to "keep hope alive", which is the slogan of the campaign. On the photo below you can see one of the fields we planted, belonging to the village of Beit Eskaria. The buildings in the background are part of an outpost (a settlement not recognized by the Israeli government).


The man in the front is Osmund, who read about the Olive Planting Program in an article by me and the other GoCYs in the newspaper and decided to come!

One of the places where we planted olive trees was Oush Ghrab, lying just outside Beit Sahour. People in Beit Sahour fear that Oush Ghrab will be taken to build settlements. If this happens, Bethlehem will be surrounded on all sides by settlements, which among other things means that there is no way for Bethlehem to expand. Oush Ghrab was used as a military base both under the Jordanian and the first decades of the Israeli occupation. In 2006 the military left the area, and people in Beit Sahour decided to build a community center to make sure that this area would not be confiscated again. Among other things there's a football field and a hall for parties there now.


From the community center at Oush Ghrab. Note the star of David on the climbing wall.

The hall was built illegally, since Palestinians hardly ever are allowed to build in area C (which comprises most of the West Bank, and where Israel exerts full civil and military control). Two years later, in 2008, settlers started coming. This article from Times gives an impression of what was going on. Lately the settler activity has escalated. Settlers come to Oush Ghrab every week, sometimes bringing rabbis who preach there, other times spraying David stars and racist motives on the place. If you want to read more about Oush Ghrab and the settlers, see this article by Hagit Ofran, director of the Settlement Watch project of the Peace Now movement.



Two weeks ago, people in Beit Sahour formed a committee for the popular defense of Oush Ghrab. They decided to work non-violently, among other things by planting trees. And so it was decided to bring the people on the Olive Planting Program here to join the peaceful resistance.


Two girls from Rønningen folk high school in Norway planting trees in Oush Ghrab.


Fatima Jubran and her son, Ra'ed Jubran.

The trees were planted in the parts of Oush Ghrab that are still fields. While people planted, there were Israeli soldiers watching us. The owner of the land, Fatima Jubran and her son Ra'ed were there and expressed their gratitude for the support.
- We are afraid to come here alone, because of the Israelis. The people who come here to help give us courage to come and plant our land, Ra'ed said.
He told me that another piece of land close to the hill Abu Gneim had been taken from him and annexed to Jerusalem. Now it is on the other side of the wall. I asked Fatima and Ra'ed what thoughts they had about the future.
- We hope that peace will come to our land, but the Israelis and the settlements are preventing peace, Fatima answered. Ra'ed said:
- We need to feel that we are humans and have rights like everyone else in this world.
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