Palestine is the country of olives. The olive tree is an ancient source of nutrition, basic livelihood and a great symbol to the Palestinians. It is considered as a holy tree – it is mentioned sixteen times in the Bible and eleven times in the Quran. The olive tree is also a symbol of peace that Palestinians are longing for. About 13 million olive trees grow in Palestine on more than 70% of the agricultural lands, showing the significance of this tree in Palestinian life. All of this makes the olive tree the main vein of Palestinian life and culture.

The olive harvest, from late October through November, has always held a significant place in the Palestinian agricultural economy. However, since 2000 and the beginning of the second ‘Intifada’, the olive harvest has been overshadowed by Israeli policy of collective punishment, manifested in repression, closure and blockage of streets, confiscation of agricultural lands, repeated attacks against Palestinian farmers by the Israeli army and settlers, and finally by the construction of the Apartheid Wall.

This infamous wall which is slowly snaking its way between the two populations supposedly follows the ‘Green Line’ dividing the two states. However, it has frequently drifted further into the Palestinian side as a means of confiscating more and more land from the Palestinians.

Today many Palestinian farmers cannot access their land as artificial and often invisible boundaries have been enforced by the Israeli military, preventing them from being able to harvest their crops.