Plant a Tree Update: News from Bethlehem  

We launched our local Plant a Tree project in 2020, as part of the wider Stop the JNF: Plant a Tree in Palestine campaign, with the aim of building solidarity with and supporting communities in South West Bethlehem targeted by illegal settlement expansion. Our focus thus far has been to raise money for tree-planting as symbolic resistance against Israeli occupation, as well as sustainable economic development. The project has been developed in partnership with grassroots Palestinian organisations such as Stop the Wall and the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee (PSCC).

Through the generosity of individuals and groups in the Aberdeen area, we have raised around £3,000 which has been transferred to the farming community of South West Bethlehem for the purchase of olive trees and grape vine plants. We were delighted to hear recently that some planting has now taken place, and to receive the following photos.  The words of Manal Shqair, International Advocacy Officer of Stop the Wall Campaign, and International Outreach Coordinator of the Land Defense Coalition (LDC), tell the story:

“Grape saplings planted in Jourt Al-Shama'a, an area threatened by Israeli settlement expansion in Bethlehem. Jourt Al-Shama'a is in the middle of a settlement bloc; access to the area is restricted but we were lucky that Israeli forces didn't stop us. The farmers there encounter daily harassment from settlers destroying their crops. Aside from the fact that the cultivation of the land is a source of income, Hamed (interviewed in the video below) asserted that the main aim of cultivating the land is to protect it from confiscation. He also complained that the Ministry of Agriculture does not provide farmers with the necessary means (such as the saplings) to protect their land. So here's where the importance of the Plant-a-Tree support lies. For decades, Hamed's family has been using the cultivation of their land as a tool to protect it, and it's been an effective one so far.”

“The forest that the JNF claims ownership of, and prevents Palestinians in Bethlehem from accessing it. The forest is close to the land of Mohammed Abdah, one of the farmers who received grape saplings from the Plant-a-Tree initiative. Mohammed, who is an old man, recalled that since he was young, the Israeli forces have prevented him from accessing the forest near his family's land, claiming that it is owned by the JNF. This forest is surrounded by illegal settlements from the different sides, so its strategic location connects settlements with each other while disrupting the geographic contingency between Palestinian towns. Housh Abdah is located in the middle of Gush Etzion, a huge settlement bloc built on the land of Palestinians in Bethlehem. Mohammed is the other farmer we interviewed and filmed talking about the area. In the video below, you will see his son, Ya'qoub (7), who helps his father to cultivate the land. When I asked him why he does so, he replied, "to protect it from being taken by settlers." He's very passionate about tending the land and, like his father, thinks that tree planting is a key to protect it.”

“Olive tree planting in the village of Farkha, Salfit. This is part of Stop the Wall's efforts to  protect threatened lands in Salfit district and beyond. The area where we planted trees [1000 dunams] has received a confiscation military order. It's close to Ariel, the largest settlement in the West Bank, excluding Jerusalem's settlements. Slafit is the only area in the West Bank where illegal settlers outnumber Palestinians.”

These photos and words drive home the message about the constant threat and abuse that the Palestinians are forced to live with, of vandalism and attack by settlers, and confiscation by the Israeli authorities, not to mention the economic cost of lack of access to the lands that are theirs by right. They also highlight the importance of the Plant a Tree project in funding the saplings that offer protection as well as economic benefit. But the project is not just about raising money - we, as part of Stop the JNF and Plant a Tree in Palestine initiatives, aim to develop links between communities in the South-West Bethlehem area and Aberdeen City and Shire: workers organisations, schools, women’s groups etc. We believe the fruits of such partnerships will be as rich as the olives and the grapes.