Palestinian Olive Trees: An Environmental Tragedy or a Tragedy of the Conflict?
Publisher: This Week in Palestine
Author(s): Amira Gabarin
Date: 2021
Topics: Climate Change, Economic Recovery, Renewable Resources
Countries: Palestine
Olive trees have a special place in the heart of every Palestinian. Not only do they provide an economic lifeline for the more than 80,000 families that grow them in the West Bank alone, they also serve as a symbol of steadfastness and political resistance as olive trees that are thousands of years old link our people to their land in one of the greatest and most beautiful living examples of Palestinian identity and cultural heritage. Olive tree farming goes back almost 6,000 years in the MENA region, and of course, olive-based products are also a key ingredient in Palestinian cuisine.
This article includes the insight of two people who appreciate both the national importance of olive trees and the many obstacles that face those who grow and cultivate them. Dr. Husam Zomlot, is the Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom and has previously served as the head of the PLO mission to the United States. Mohammed Ruzzi is the manager of the Palestine Fair Trade Association (PFTA), a nongovernmental organization founded in Palestine in 2004 as a union for all Palestinian fair trade farmers and those interested in working in fair trade.