With rapidly escalating levels of settler violence in the West Bank, the International Solidarity Movement is issuing an urgent call for volunteers to participate in the 2009 Olive Harvest Campaign.
The olive tree is a national symbol for Palestinians. As thousands of olive trees have been bulldozed, uprooted and burned by the Israeli military and settlers, harvesting has become more than a source of livelihood; it has become a form of resistance. 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.
Palestinian communities are inviting internationals to support and show solidarity with this resistance by working in the olive groves with them. By doing so, activists can reduce the risk of extreme violence from Israeli settlers or army through non-violent intervention and documentation.
The campaign will begin on the 3rd of October and run for approximately 6-8 weeks, depending on the size of the harvest. We request a 2 week commitment from volunteers.
Training:
The ISM will be holding mandatory two day training sessions every Saturday and Sunday. Please contact palreports@gmail.com for further information.
Ongoing campaigns:
In addition to the olive harvest, there will also be other opportunities to participate in grass-roots, non-violent resistance in Palestine.
In occupied East Jerusalem, ISM activists have been staying with the Hanoun and Ghawe families, prior and post their evictions. We will continue to support the initiatives of the families who face evictions or demolitions in Sheikh Jarrah, Silwan and other Palestinian neighborhoods in resisting the ethnic cleansing of occupied East Jerusalem.
ISM has been active in the village of Ni’lin, supporting its non-violent resistance to construction of the Apartheid Wall that annexes much of its land. Since May 2008, Ni’lin has been demonstrating and the Israeli military suppression of their unarmed protests has led to the death of 5 Palestinians and critical injury of an ISM activist.
In Bil’in, ISM has once again taken an apartment to participate in prevention of arrests and the ongoing night raids. Since the beginning of the summer, Israeli forces have been invading and arresting in the village of Bil’in, known for its creative resistance to the Apartheid Wall and construction of settlements on village lands.
Additionally, ISM maintains a presence in Hebron and Susiya. Work in these areas includes solidarity visits, farmer accompaniment and response to settler violence.
Come! Bear witness to the suffering, courage and generosity of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation. Experiencing the situation for yourself is vital to adequately convey the reality of life in Palestine to your home communities and to re-frame the debate in a way that will expose Israel’s apartheid policies; creeping ethnic cleansing in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem as well as collective punishment and genocidal practices in Gaza.
On the 5th of October a special meeting made up of regional ISM coordinators took place to present their plans for the olive harvest and to make everyone aware of each other’s activities so that better coordination between the regions can take place. Below is a summary of each region’s activities to give an idea of how well organized we are this year and to hopefully encourage more people to come and support the Palestinian farmers and their families against the violence of the colonist settlers and the obstruction and harrassment of the Israeli army. If you are an ISM support group doing training in your country, please let new volunteers know about this plan so that they can have an idea of what they will be doing, and can be reassured that they will be needed.
Nablus region
Some of the most ideological settlers in the West Bank live here in notorious settlement outposts such as Itamar. Nablus region will be the top priority for the campaign because of the danger to farmers from these settlers, and the large number of villages in the area that the ISM Nablus committee has forged contacts with in the lead-up to the harvest.
Picking in 24 villages all over the Nablus region
Started 1st October. Ongoing till 30th November (most villages will start after Eid).
Need for continuous presence of 20-30 internationals from October 25th.
Accommodation for volunteers in ISM apartment in the Nablus Old City, but also villages. Bring sleeping bags because of cold nights
Co-ordination wtih EAPPI (in Yannun) and Rabbis for Human Rights being done
Hebron region
ISM volunteers will focus on families picking from their gardens and groves in the Tel Rumeida area of Hebron city. Last year settlers tried to steal olives. Tel Rumedia contains some of the most extreme, Kahanist elements of the settler movement, hence it is a high priority for the campaign. The Israeli army frequently declares the area as a closed military zone to “protect” the settlers.
Eight families in the area have asked for volunteers. Also, 6 families in villages near the Kiryat Arba settlement have asked for volunteers.
Starting mid-November
Need minimum 5 internationals
Accommodation for volunteers in the ISM/Tel Rumeida Project apartment in Tel Rumeida
Co-ordination being done with many international organisations. In case of an urgent need in other parts of Hebron region (e.g. Qawawis, Jab’a), will co-ordinate with the international organisations working in those areas such as CPT, EAPPI. to send people if we have them available. The ISM Hebron committee has also talked to Palestinian university students. Will send people to other areas in Hebron region for demonstrations as requested by local committee co-ordinating internationals.
Ramallah region
Generally, not big risks, but people needed in Bil’in outpost. Maximum 7 people needed for whole region. It’s not top priority – if there is an emergency and enough volunteers, people will go there. Direct action is always an ISM priority, even during the olive harvest so we will encourage volunteers to take part in demos, eg. Bil’in and other actions, eg. roadblock removals at Jaba.
Bil’in – Priority for this region. Need minimum 2 people to stay in the outpost – they can participate in Olive harvest, but there is minimal risk. It is still a priority, because there is now a problem with getting people past the fence and to the outpost. This was no problem until now.
Possiblity of help needed in Beit Sira (first olive harvest since wall built there), Aboud (one family might need some help), Beit Furik (might face some risk because of it’s location) or Biddu (no risk from settlers).
Tulkarem region
There are only three settlements in this region. Five Palestinian villages have land near to them. For the first time this year, Palestinians with certain land in this area will try to access it to pick olives. Not a high-risk area, hence not a high priority for ISM volunteers.
Picking in two areas
Starting mid-October. Every village needs a week to finish
Need around 5 people to move around the region
IWPS in Salfit
Anticipates enough IWPS volunteers over this period to cover their areas. Will send IWPS volunteers to other areas in emergencies if they have the numbers.
Strong focus on 7 villages, 5 on standby, going to meet 2 more in next few days
Az Zawyia – from mid-October, most after Ramadan – 6 internationals. for 1-2 weeks
IWPS are based in Hares village, Salfit region
Co-ordination with Rabbis for Human Rights being done
Your presence is needed for the Olive Harvest 2006 in Palestine!
Palestinian communities are calling for the presence of international activists to support them in the 2006 Olive Harvest. Throughout the West Bank and Gaza, Palestinian land continues to be stolen for illegal Israeli colonies and the Apartheid Wall as well as settler roads, checkpoints, and closed military zones.
Since October 2000, hundreds of thousands of olive trees have been bulldozed, uprooted, or burned by the Israeli military and Israeli settler colonists. The olive tree has been a native symbol for Palestinians for hundreds of years. As well as a source of livelihood and a symbol of the people’s bond to their land, the olive tree is also a powerful symbol of cooperation between peoples.
Cooperative actions between internationals and Palestinians have concentrated around the olive tree. Palestinian communities remain steadfast and are strengthened in refusing to give up their olive harvest. The solidarity offered by international activists enables many families to pick their olives and stay in their communities.
ISM will be providing training, media and legal support to international activists in response to the demand from local communities. Activists will use their creativity, determination and courage to support these communities at this important time of year. There is an especially big need for the campaign this year, as a big harvest is expected. Ground work has been done by ISM activists in the Nablus region on making contacts with at least 18 villages in the region who would like to have international accompaniment because of dangers they will face from Israeli colonists, and obstruction and harassment from the Israeli army. Many of these villages have worked with internationals before.
An international presence makes it less likely that Palestinian farmers and landowners will be met with brutal and sometimes lethal violence as they care for their land and harvest their olives.
The Olive Harvest Campaign, part of the people’s non-violent resistance to the occupation, will begin 15th October and last until the middle of December. Some villages have expressed a desire for internationals from mid-October although most villages we have contacted will start picking after the three day religious holiday of Eid il Fitr, which is expected to be from October 25-27. The majority of villages will be picking during November. The first Olive Harvest orientation and training will be held on October 15th and 16th and will continue every Sunday and Monday until the end of the Olive Harvest. During Eid il Fitr there will be no olive picking. Olive harvesting is expected to be finished by the middle of December. Please contact Hisham at hishamjamjoum@yahoo.com for questions about training.
Please register to join us at: palsolidarity.org
For more information, please contact info@palsolidarity.org
or see: palsolidarity.org
Important Notes
It is recommended that you stay for at least two weeks, though if this is not possible, your presence anytime throughout the duration of the campaign is appreciated.
As a guide, it will cost you approximately $100 per week for food, accommodation and travel in Palestine.
The two-day training and orientation is mandatory for activists participating in the non-violent resistance including the Olive Harvest.
Updated 14th September: the paragraph in this call about dates has been updated and clarified.
Ongoing Campaigns
In the meantime, we also invite internationals to join our on-going efforts to support Palestinian non-violent resistance all over the West Bank. In recent months Israeli aggression has increased in the West Bank whilst more international attention has been focused on Israeli atrocities in Lebanon and Gaza.
Palestinians in the Tel Rumeida district of Hebron suffer some of the worst settler violence in the West Bank. There has been an international presence in Tel Rumeida for 1 1/2 years. Activists who have attended ISM training have a permanent presence in the international apartment in Tel Rumeida. The work there involves accompanying Palestinian schoolchildren to school and protecting them from and documenting attacks by settlers. Internationals also maintain a presence on the streets in the settlement to document and intervene in the regular settler attacks on local Palestinian residents.
Israeli settler colonists in other areas in the Hebron region also frequently attack and intimidate Palestinian farmers. This involves physical assaults or the destruction of farmland. As with the Olive Harvest the presence of internationals enables farmers to work their land. This summer, internationals supported farmers in this way around Beit Omar village. Although the Wall has been largely built in the northern West Bank and around Jerusalem, land is currently being destroyed for the route of the Wall in the south of the West Bank, in the Bethlehem and Hebron regions. Internationals have supported weekly demonstrations against the Wall this summer in Al Khadr village west of Bethlehem as well as participating in actions around Karme Zur settlement between Halhoul and Beit Omar. There will be continuous non-violent resistance to land theft and the destruction of olive trees, vines and other agricultural land in the Hebron region.
In Bil’in village west of Ramallah, the illegal Apartheid Wall has stolen over half of the village’s agricultural land. Internationals have supported their 1 1/2 year struggle against the Wall which has focused around weekly Friday demonstrations. Internationals aim to maintain a permanent presence in the village which has been targeted by Israeli forces for its non-violent resistance.
Training Dates
We hold trainings every Sunday and Monday if there are at least 5 people. Please contact Hisham at hishamjamjoum@yahoo.com for questions about training.
