Down Come the Trees - Are You Counting?

Reported:

(BNA) Israeli settlers fell tens of olive trees from Palestinian farmlands at Qariot village in the south of Naples [that's Nablus; Arabs do not preonounce 'b' well] at dawn today. The official in charge of settlements' dossier in the north of the West Bank, Ghassan Douglass, said in a statement quoted by the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) that Israeli settlers had fell down about 120 olive trees from vineyards in Qariot village. He added that the settlers might have come from a nearby village or another settlement. Israeli settlers have implemented daily assaults against Palestinian peasants in the provinces of the West Bank especially in the southern outskirts of Naples and escalated such attacks during the first days of olive crop harvesting season.

In another report

Ghassan Douglas, in charge of settlements file at the Palestinian Authority in the northern part of the West Bank, said that settlers...are attacking Palestinians throughout the West Bank almost on daily basis, which increased during the current olive picking season, especially in Southern Nablus.

Before that

A group of settlers attacked Palestinian farmers in the Ramallah town of Beitillu on Sunday, burning dozens of olive trees, witnesses said. Locals told official news agency Wafa that settlers from nearby Nehaliel settlement attacked the farmers while they were picking olives and set fire to dozens of trees.

And before that:

Israeli settlers on Friday destroyed 100 newly-planted olive saplings and at least 60 vine trees on private Palestinian land in Al-Khader village near Bethlehem. The coordinator of the local anti-wall committee, Ahmad Salah, said he noticed the vandalism while he was on a regular tour monitoring the town’s fields on Friday.

And there's also this:

JNF olive orchard vandalized, nationalistic motives suspected Sixty-five ancient olive trees, located in a field near the village of Kafr Kara in Wadi Ara, were irreversibly damaged Saturday night by anonymous perpetrators • Defense official: "This is their gift for our Sukkot holiday."

I will not be keeping a daily or weekly count. The festival is upon us. Just don't take their claims without proof - pictures, for example, verifiable knowledge. October 10 -, it's now another 300!
Palestinian sources reported Wednesday that several extremist Israeli settlers uprooted around 300 olive trees that belong to residents of Al-Mogheer village, east of the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
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What Happened to Those Arab Olive Trees?

The annual "Jews-destroyed/cut down/burned/chopped up/dug up-Arab-olive-trees" festival has begun.

But take a look at this picture:

You are viewing part of 1000 dunams under development by Jews in the Shiloh Bloc, just outside Shvut Rachel and south of Achiyah.

Six of those rows of olive trees belong to a resident of Jaloud.

Jaloud is an Arab village.

Every year, in the arrangement negotiated by the IDF, the owner comes and harvests his crop and also tends to his trees.

And every time, some Jewish-owned trees are found to have been damaged.

Another form of Arab terror.

Ingrates.

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Like Festivals?

You're inivited:-

Olive Harvest 2007: You Are Needed More Than Ever!

Join Us in Palestine for the 2007 Olive Harvest Campaign!

Palestinian farmers and agricultural organizations, in coordination with the International Solidarity Movement, the International Women's Peace Service, and the Christian Peacemaker Team announce the 2007 Olive Harvest Campaign. The campaign will begin on October 16th, after the end of Ramadan, and will continue for six to eight weeks, depending on the size of the harvest. [Jews will be harvesting too. like our own "Meshek Achiyah" at Shiloh]



The Olive Harvest is an annual affirmation of Palestinians' historical, spiritual and economic connection to their land, and a rejection of Israeli efforts to seize it. Palestinians are the indigenous people of this land who have farmed olives here for thousands of years. [since maybe 638 CE at the most. that's 1369 years at the very most. and don't forget, there were Jews here first with their olive trees]

International and Israeli volunteers join Palestinians each year to harvest olives, in spite of efforts by Israeli settlers, soldiers and bulldozers to destroy this vital piece of Palestinian life. The Olive Harvest Campaign provides a wonderful opportunity to spend time with Palestinian families in their olive groves and homes. After a two-day training session, volunteers for the Olive Harvest Campaign will stay in Palestinian homes or international apartments in West Bank communities and accompany Palestinian families to their olive groves to serve as witnesses to document and expose attacks by settlers -- supported by the Israeli Army -- on farmers and their families.

In addition to olive harvest, volunteers will have the opportunity to join Palestinians in nonviolent protests throughout the West Bank against the construction of the annexation barrier, settlements and settlement roads.

For more information on preparation, travel and arrival in Palestine, please see the ISM Palestine website, www.palsolidarity.org/main/join/.
ISM support groups located around the world can help answer your questions about the movement and Olive Harvest Campaign. Many will provide training sessions. For information on how to contact local ISM support groups worldwide, please also see the ISM website.

But if you want a real good festival, try Shiloh on the 15th of Av.