Jayyous
September 23, 2010
One Village, Two Settlements, Three Hillsides
Photos by John Buttrick



Muhamud










Mustafa





From hilltops to the west, south and east Israeli settlers on Palestinian land watch the Palestinian farmers of Junsafut harvesting their olives. Suddenly without warning they swarm into the valley from three sides at once, armed and out numbering the farmers 20 to 1. The farmers seek to retreat to the north toward their village, but the settlers cut them off and surround them. Armed with rifles, they threaten, “Leave and stay off this land or we will shoot you.” The farmers quickly leave. The settlers collect the harvested olives and take them way for their own use. On the days when the farmers are left alone, settlers will sometimes come after dark to take the harvested olives that the famers plan to picked up the next day by a tractor and wagon or donkey cart.

Jinsafut is one Palestinian village, hovered over by two Illegal Israeli settlements on three sides. Caring for the olive trees outside the village are 15 Palestinian olive farmers. Thabet Bashir is the mayor of Jinsafut. We sit at a table in his office that is strewn with demolition orders received for houses and roads and copies of applications to the army, DCO, for permits to go into the fields to pick olives on their land near the settlements. The olive harvest begins officially on October 1, only a few days away. The permits have not arrived. When they do it is anticipated that they will be for 4 or 5 days. One or two months is needed to complete the harvest of the olives. In 2009 their permits were for one half of the time that was needed to complete the harvest. The olives that were left were harvested and taken by the nearby Israeli settlers who also damage the trees in process.

This year the 15 farmers were not allowed into their fields until March to care for their trees. The reason given for restrictions is “security” for the settlers who have built homes on the hilltops. Israel has plans to be build a barrier between the settlers and Jinsafut on Palestinian land owned by farmers. This barrier will destroy olive trees and restrict farmers even more from getting to their land. At the present the boundary is obscure. It seems to be where ever the settlers decide it is. This is in spite of court rulings that the land belongs to Palestinian farmers. In one case, after five lawyers, NIS 3762 and translation challengers, settlers still claimed land with 3000 olive trees.

It is not only the land outside of the village where there is tension. Mustafa, a Palestinian farmer who has been showing us his land and the Israeli settlements in the hills above, tells how they planted 300 new olive trees near the village. Even there it was not safe. Before the trees could mature, it takes three years of care and irrigation, the settlers came in and cut the trees. This action was reported to the police. It has been three years without a response. The Mayor has a copy of the complaint report. Also, it is not infrequent for the Israeli settlers to come into the village and terrorize the people, throwing stones at windows and hitting automobiles with clubs.

Whenever there is an incursion by the settlers, the Israeli army comes and stands between the settlers and the Palestinians. They explain that it is for security, to protect the Palestinian farmers. However, it is the Palestinians that are usually pushed back or asked to leave their land. However,there was one incident where the army confiscated the olives that the settlers had taken and gave them back to the farmers. It may have partly been because the press corps and internationals were present to witness what was happening. Usually the farmers are alone. Each day the farmers are fearful as they take their families to their lands to harvest their olives.

Another farmer, Muhammud, has not given up even though he has gone from being the largest land owner in the village to one of the smallest because of land confiscations. He has put one half million NIS into his land. He has seven girls and five boys to support. He declares with passion, ”Even if they offer me NIS 2-3 million for what is left, I will not sell. This land is in my heart. It is not for Palestinian or Israeli to rule on my land. It is declared by the Mosque (by God). We want to stay. We want to be strong.”

The olive harvest continues tomorrow and for the next two months. The village farmers have not yet received olive picking permits. Yet, tomorrow the 15 farmers and their families from one small village, who go to the parts of their fields where permits are not yet required, will be looking nervously to the hills where two settlements occupy three sides of the their fields. This one small village, Junsafut, tells the story for dozens of other Palestinian farming villages whose land is threatened by illegal Israeli settlements. Their farmers are also going to their fields to harvest olives for the next two months.

The olive farmers are a part of the landscape. It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3: the land, the trees and the farmers. The farmers are determined that the land and the trees will not be denied the presence of those who have given them life.



EAPPI-US and Global Ministries of the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) have sent me as an Ecumenical Accompanier serving the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI). The views contained herein are personal to me and do not necessarily reflect those of EAPPI-US and Global Ministries or the WCC.