JASMIN
Arriving in Palestine after October 7th, we were expecting the program to face more trouble than in the past years. Many of FFIPP’s partner organizations offering internships have had to adjust to the impulses of the occupation, increasingly so after October 7th. This year there was no certainty in any of the plans made for the program, as it often happens that even just a closed checkpoint can put a halt on getting from one city to another.
In the past, the program was canceled for 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. For locals, the strain of the occupation is far worse. “In a way, covid was actually better than what happened after 7th of October. Covid was more forgiving than Israel. In lockdown, you break it at the risk of catching covid. Now, you break curfew at the risk of being killed,” said one local Palestinian. This time around daily life and internships were interrupted by military raids, closed checkpoints and strikes in Palestinian cities in protest against the atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank. The day after Haniye’s murder in Iran, shops closed and streets emptied of people retreating to grieve all afternoon, followed by large protests in the evening.
My internship placement at YMCA Joined Advocacy Initiative working at the Olive Tree Campaign (OTC) took me to a new village to meet with farmers every week. Each one of the farmers was affected by the occupation, ranging from having their land stolen and declared state property, to getting their olive trees and homes burned by settlers. In the past, the OTC had been foremost sponsoring and planting new olive trees for farmers facing threats of annexation of land. However, this year, it became far more dangerous for farmers to access their land and care for their trees. From the testimonies, it is clear that settlers act with impunity, confident that they will not face legal sanctions for their violence. With the violence escalating in the West Bank the campaign’s focus shifted more toward documenting attacks on Palestinian farmers. Most annual activities were canceled due to political unrest and travel restrictions to Palestine. Sadly, many sponsored farmers were unable to access their land altogether to plant the donated saplings.
An excerpt from my diary from an overnight at one of the OTC farms, Tent of Nations
At night, the sound of bombs dropping on Gaza reaches all the way to Nassar’s farm. We sit on the family’s porch in dark stillness, overlooking the valley from a hilltop, flanked by an illegal Israeli settlement on one side and a hill blocking the view of Gaza just 55 kilometers to the west. Occasionally, a plane flies overhead, perhaps carrying more Israeli soldiers to the strip. As it passes, Daheer mutters, "You know, oppression isn't sustainable. It can't go on forever."
Earlier today, the Nassars told me about their – ambitious – plans for a green transition, even as they continue fighting to keep their land from being taken. “We are, of course, resisting the occupation, but we must also remember to fight climate change,” says Daoud Nassar. The man holds degrees from a school in Austria, Bethlehem University, and Bielefeld University in Germany. It may seem bold to tackle climate change while living under apartheid, but the Nassars won’t compromise. They’ve installed solar panels and are exploring more sustainable farming methods. Water is a constant struggle on the hill, as Israeli forces control the West Bank’s supply. A quick Google Maps search reveals a pool in the nearby Neve Daniel settlement, while the Nassars and their volunteers rely on bucket showers from water transported to the hill by car and carefully ration the amount given to their crops.
When I look at the horizon, none of the houses at settlements have water tanks on their slanted, European style roofs. We are sitting on the Arab world's richest water reserves, yet Israel controls all water supply to the West Bank and Gaza, dispossessing the indigenous Palestinians of the resources of their own land. How can someone think that there are two equals at conflict here, when one side has their water stored in canisters and the other has the power to deprive it of water, the most fundamental of human rights?
