This year’s olive harvest yield looks promising, but with the harvest now in full swing, it remains to be seen how much farmers will ultimately be able to gather. Friends and suppliers on the ground report that violence and harassment by the military and settlers are on the rise. While this varies across the West Bank, the determination of Palestinian farmers to gather and sell their olives remains unwavering.
A day of olive harvest toy in Haj Bashir’s grove in Sanur, West Bank
Even amidst these risks, our friend Bisan Alhajhasan recently captured a beautiful day of family joy and hard work at Haj Bashir’s olive grove in Sanur, a village just 16 miles from Jenin. Thankfully, being somewhat removed from nearby settlements, they can safely enjoy this harvest season. Haj Bashir, who chairs the Palestine Fair Trade Association, carefully tends 250 olive trees – a task that typically takes about three to four weeks of hand-picking to complete.
The gentle pitter-patter of olives dropping onto tarpaulin filled the grove – a soundtrack to a day rich with family spirit. Beneath the warm sun and a clear blue sky, Haj Bashir’s sons, their wives, and children gathered, all sharing a deep-rooted passion for the land and the anticipation of the season’s fruits.
After picking dozens of trees clean, the family worked together to clear olives of twigs and leaves before packing them into jute sacks. Their reward? A well-deserved picnic feast, cooked over a fire: fried cheese (in olive oil, of course), qalayet banadoura (a sizzling tomato skillet), fried potatoes, za’atar, olives, and woodfire-brewed sweet tea.
With full bellies and laughter echoing, the men took the olives to the press. As the “green gold” poured out, Haj Bashir and Bisan savoured this precious moment, watching the freshly pressed olive oil flow into waiting containers. Then, someone brought out a loaf of freshly baked tabun bread, just perfect for tasting the oil at its freshest.
The reality of violence faced by farmers across the West Bank
While moments like these remind us of the beauty and tradition of olive farming, we’re also confronted by heartbreaking news. Messages reach us daily from our farmer colleagues in the West Bank, sharing their struggles and their sheer determination to reach their lands and gather their olives. We were devastated to hear about Hanan Abu Salameh, a woman farmer tragically shot by a soldier while harvesting olives in Faqua, near Jenin.
We also heard disturbing reports from our friends in Burin, where, after farmers managed to collect olives on land that escaped this year’s fires, soldiers confiscated their entire harvest and later attacked them. In Madama, our friends’ voices carry the weight of their daily struggles, as the army closes village access, obstructs movement, and raids homes, using tear gas and what sounds like heavier artillery. Soldiers also patrol the olive groves, blocking families from harvesting. Yet, despite these immense challenges, the farming community does all it can to reach its trees.
In the midst of these worrying reports, we are uplifted by the extraordinary resilience of Palestinian communities. Farmers like Haj Rafeeq share that this year’s harvest looks promising. They head off to their family groves with hope, banding together in groups of 20–30 farmers who take turns visiting each other’s farms, both to help speed up the harvest process and to provide some protection. It seems there is still power in numbers.
Against all odds, many manage to do what they do every year: harvest their olives, gather with loved ones, and share a meal cooked over a wood fire among the trees, celebrating what should be a joyful time of year.
Other recent posts
