Pictures and A Question About Photographers

Further to the news flash I put up about the fire set in the fields of Havat Gilad, some pictures:

a) the smoldering field

b) Oxfam on the scene with the EU emblem.  How did they get there?  Do they pay Arabs to do this?

c) And how did so many photographers arrive on the scene?

d)  ah, radical chic.  Is this the proper dress for the location?

Photographs courtesy of David HaIvri of the Samaria Liaison Office.
Credit: Yehuda Aryeh Shimon

Ah, here is Oxfam, from the previous day:

Israel should remove obstacles to Palestinian production of olives in the occupied West Bank, which is "stifling" the true potential of the sector, aid organisation Oxfam said on Friday.  A report said the olive sector, "which contributes up to 100 million dollars (71.4 million euros) in yearly income for some of the poorest Palestinian communities, could bring a brighter future for the Palestinian economy, provided its full potential is realised."

More:

Oxfam GB, EU help Palestinian Farmers Kick-start the Olive harvest in Move to Boost Profit

RAMALLAH, October 16, 2010 (WAFA)- Olive picking event organized on 15 October to help farmers overcome risks of settler attacks, as Oxfam launches its new report on Palestinian olive oil trade

On October 15, Oxfam Great Britain (Oxfam GB) and the European Union (EU) sponsored an olive picking event in Kafr Qaddum, in the northern West Bank. Representatives from the European Union and Oxfam GB, together with the Kafr Qaddum Cooperative for Agricultural Development, Bethlehem University’s Fair Trade Development Center (FTDC) and the Palestinian Farmers Union (PFU), worked with international and Palestinian volunteers to help some of the neediest families in the village maximize the fruit of their labor this olive season.

...“I am very glad to see today that the farmers of the cooperative in Kafr Qaddum are putting in good use the new techniques they learned through training and that many other farmers from the village are picking up their practices' says the EU Representative, Christian Berger. 'This project is also about Fair trade certification and as demonstrated through the successful participation of Palestinian farmers in the 'Fair-trade Night' in London earlier this year, Palestinian olive oil is a very competitive product in the international market' he adds.

“This project is about raising market access through Fair Trade certification,” says EU Communications Officer Shadi Othman. “One of the key aspects of Fair Trade is getting farmers and cooperatives to establish support networks in their community. We’re not just picking olives. We’re putting down roots for sustainable development,” he said, adding that the olive harvesting event was being organized as a way to encourage community participation and volunteerism, as well as boosting community spirit, all of which are guiding principles of Fair Trade.

...“This project is capital for communities like Kafr Qaddoum because Fair Trade certification means the farmers are guaranteed to get a fair price,” says Haitham Hassassneh, an Oxfam GB Livelihoods Officer.

...A new Israeli outpost, illegal under both international and Israeli law, has been erected on Kafr Qaddum’s agricultural land, putting the community at heightened risk of violence. Volunteers will concentrate on helping families whose trees are located close to the outpost, as their presence usually helps deter settler attacks.

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