The Assault On Palestinian Olive Trees

Olive trees, a major component of the Palestinian agrarian economy in the West Bank, have figured prominently in Israel’s perennial conflict with the Palestinians.

Since Israel’s occupation of the West Bank during the 1967 Six Day War, some 800,000 olive trees have been destroyed and damaged by the Israeli armed forces and Jewish settlers, affecting the livelihood of about 80,000 Palestinian families.

This process continues unabated, with thousands of trees having been uprooted or vandalized in the past few years in areas of the West Bank from Susya in the south to Salem in the north. A recent United Nations report stated that 5,000 olive trees have been damaged by Jewish settlers in the past few months. Curfews and closures have also played havoc with the olive harvest.

Rabbi Arik Ascherman, the former director of Rabbis for Human Rights, has accompanied Palestinian farmers to their olive groves during the harvest season, when attacks by settlers typically occur. While the presence of Israelis like Ascherman sometimes prevents violence, he has been repeatedly attacked by settlers.