Harvesting Olives in Jenin

I decided that after finishing the course on communications with the women at the Women's Center with Jihan, that I would join the Interfaith delegation to Jenin and Nablis over the weekend. We first, traveled to meet the four members of the Palestinian Council who were elected in the 2006 election. They are members of the Hamas Party, and have spent most of the years since in prison. They sought asylum at the Red Cross Headqarters and are into their 128 days of a refusal to leave the property, since they were warned that they would be arrested immediately. It is too bad that the press and the government have labeled them as terrorists, as their party was elected freely in the election. Leaving them out of the equation was also an error too, as they now become heroes outside the conversation, instead of contributing members within the PA government.

We also visited Sheik Jerrar, a neighborhood in East Jerusalem whose families were ousted by the settlers there. Their story is a sad but determined one, as they have suffered severely by the attack of the settlers, who threw the family out in the streets, including tossing sleeping children out the door. The four months or so that the family spent outside in heat and cold, was of international notice. Their stories made me angry at a world that allowed such brutality. Perhaps that will require a blog article by itself when I have the time.

Then, afterwards, we went to the Northern most city of Jenin, where with Nasser Aboufaha. WE visited him in 2006 when he was just beginning to coordinate the activities of the Palestinian Fairtrade Association, and cooperative of some 40 smaller cooperatives and three hundred farmers. What I notice most is the sense
of pride and dignity the farmers have in their product and in the work they do. They have also been able to raise the market price, to balance local need and a fair
wage for their farmers. They use to get 6 NS for a liter now up to 25 or 26
depending upon the results of tests of their oil. Six of us spent the night in the home of Abent and Somerher Khaloway and their four children. Abent is a very succesful farmer, with some 6,000 trees. He hires some 35-50 pickers and has just three weeks to harvest his crop. We road about half hour north through the town of Sababde in the back of a large truck to get to his fields. While we didn't set any records, the workers appreciated our presence, I believe. There was a lot of wonderful lighthearted play and hard work during the few hours we were in the fields. The Arab hospitality is special. Never did I hear any word of anger or hatred for the Israelis, only disappointment and frustration with end of the occupation.

THe next day we visited the beautiful city of Nablis located between two sister mountains, one of good ness and one of evil. More about the tour through the old
city and the visit to the Balotta Refugee Camp of 25,000 people within a square KM.
70% of whom are children under age 18. b.