18 October 2009
On Sunday, 18 October, about 30 internationals from several different solidarity groups accompanied inhabitants of the village Iraq Burin south of Nablus to plant olive trees. 45 plants were donated by the Palestinans Authority and the action was considered successful by the local residents.
The olive trees were planted close to the illegal settlement Bracha, on 30 dunums (30 000m2) of land that has recently been returned to its rightful Palestinian owners as a result of an agreement with the District Coordination Office. This is the first success of its kind, and is a result of weekly demonstrations, where local protesters and international activists came together to protest illegal land annexation and settlement expansion in the West Bank.
After the olive trees were planted the protesters stayed in the field chanting pro-Palestinian slogans, celebrating the reclaimed land. A security jeep along with an army jeep arrived to the area at this point, however, as the action was already over and successfully fulfilled, the protesters decided to return to the village.