In a hearing held by the AMAN Coalition for the Ministry of Agriculture and the Commission to Resist the Wall and Settlements on the comprehensive national campaign to support farmers in the olive harvest season "Faz’a"
AMAN: The need for a matrix consisting of a national plan under the supervision of the central secretariat and local executive bodies to support the resilience of the Palestinian farmer in the face of settler attacks
Ramallah – The Coalition for Integrity and Accountability (AMAN) held a hearing session for the Ministry of Agriculture and the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission to explain the details of the comprehensive national campaign to support farmers in the olive harvest season, "Faz’a" – meaning the community’s rush to aid. Representatives of ministries, official and civil institutions, mayors, a number of civil society organizations and the media were present and participated in the discussion.
The session began with a speech by the Executive Director, Issam Hajj Hussein, who praised the campaign that is taking place for the second consecutive season during the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip and the attacks on farmers by armed colonial settlers, with the help and protection of the occupation army. The Israeli settlers and army’s main goal is to prevent farmers from harvesting olives by physically attacking them, burning and uprooting their precious trees and burglarizing their properties, which is part of the Zionist plan to expand their settlement by usurping the lands and displacing the Palestinian native owners in various areas of the West Bank.
In the presence of His Excellency the Minister of Agriculture, Professor Dr. Rizq Silmiyeh, and His Excellency the Minister of the Apartheid Wall and Settlement Resistance Authority, Muayad Shabaan, along with other governmental and civil institutions, Hajj Hussein praised the government's approach towards openness and participation in response to the AMAN Coalition call for a public and open live discussion to clarify the details of the campaign and consider methods to ensure its sustainability even after the olive harvest season ends.
"Faz’a" serves as a comprehensive participatory plan with governmental and civil society bodies.
His Excellency the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Rizq Silmiyeh, expressed the need for the word "Faz’a" from our social, economic and cultural heritage and stated that the campaign encompasses a comprehensive plan built on the difficult lessons we learned last year at the beginning of the genocide war. He noted its development in full national partnership with public government institutions and others specialized in the agricultural sector, in addition to non-governmental organizations, which were the Agricultural Relief, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, the Land Research Center, the Applied Research Institute (ARIJ), in addition to women's organizations and farmers' and peasants' unions. He also cited the participation of the Ministry of Interior, security forces in civilian clothes, the Civil Defense, the Palestinian Red Crescent, the Red Cross, along with relevant ministries like the Ministry of Local Government and governors, government departments, agricultural directorates and universities.
Estimates from the Ministry of Agriculture: 100-150 thousand dunums (K34-37 acres) of olive trees that Palestinian farmers could not reach and harvest.
Dr. Salimia reviewed the accuracy of some facts and approximate numbers, touching on some shocking numbers documented by the ministry, where the Palestinian farmer according to the Ministry of Agriculture's documentation, was unable to harvest one hundred thousand dunums, indicating that the estimates on the ground exceed what is recorded by the ministry, and may actually be 150 thousand dunums, of which 70-80 thousand dunums are in the Gaza Strip, where the Gazan farmer was unable to access his land due to the ongoing genocide and destruction.
Dr. Salimia stated that based on to the difficult conditions we witnessed last year, and the cutting down of nearly 10,000 olive trees by the Israeli military and settlers, and the direct assaults on farmers (the latest of which led to the martyrdom of Mrs. Hanan Abu Salameh, a mother of five, while she was harvesting olives in her land in the village of Faqou'a, northeast of Jenin,) it became necessary for the ministry to devise a comprehensive and decentralized plan, based on a set of guidelines, where each governorate manages its affairs based on the existing data on the ground. The West Bank has been divided into four areas: 50-55 thousand dunums in areas behind the wall, which require permits and coordination for harvesting with the Israeli civil liaison offices (The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) implements the government's civilian policy within the occupied territories); 150 thousand dunums in areas close to the wall (half of the lands are located within Area C); lands within and adjacent to settlements; and finally, lands near the bypass roads, which are considered the most volatile.
17,700 tons of olive oil are expected to be produced.
The campaign began by bringing together capabilities and human, material, logistical, institutional and marketing resources. This included purchasing gathering sheets and harvesting machinery, followed by a campaign to motivate volunteers as well as conducting the necessary laboratory tests to determine the harvest date, done in partnership with the Wall and Settlement Resistance Authority. It was decided to announce the date for this year to be October 10 for a specific type of trees and November 1 for the irrigated and improved plants. Dr. Salimia pointed out that there are 11 million olive trees, spread over one million dunums, which are expected to produce 17,700 tons of olive oil, 10,000 tons of which will be for export, under previously established agreements for developmental and economic advancement.
The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission recorded 90 assaults by the occupation army and armed settler militias.
In turn, His Excellency the Minister of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, Muayad Shabaan, emphasized the spirit of challenge and determination to harvest olives this year, despite all the difficulties fraught with risks, affirming that the core of the Palestinian struggle revolves entirely around the land, which must be preserved collectively. Minister Shabaan also reported that since October 7, 2023, 20 martyrs have fallen to settler gunfire, dozens were wounded and houses were burned, add to that the expulsion of 28 communities by the ferocious settlers who seized their lands. Dr. Shabaan added that since the beginning of the campaign and up to the date of the session, the Palestinian Authority has recorded 90 assaults by the occupation army and armed settler militias.
The supporters are also being pursued.
Dr. Shabaan praised the involvement of popular international protection through the participation of foreign activists in hot spots, commending their momentous support and sincere belief in the Palestinian cause. He noted that some activists are denied entry into the country by Israel, and if they succeed in entering, they are deliberately targeted, as there is no protection for them or the Palestinians from the vicious settlers, who are protected and aided by the Israeli army. In early September, an Israeli soldier fired at and killed the American activist of Turkish origin, Aisha Noor Ezgi; also, on October 21 settler colonialist and soldiers attacked 16 activists near Tulkarm, of which two were arrested and deported.
The crucial need for official, popular and international participation.
Dr. Shabaan, also issued a public call to all civil institutions, factions, municipal councils and popular committees to intensify official, popular, and international participation and to move towards collective olive picking, especially in the volatile areas of Yasouf, the Ramin Basin, Anabta and Tulkarm. This is not only for the purpose of "aiding" but also as a defensive tactic against settlers' ferocity, and for helping farmers reach their land and focusing on the desired goal of harvesting olives, with the conviction that olive trees are a national symbol deeply rooted in the land and its people.
The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Wall and Settlement Resistance Authority.
Dr. Salimia also mentioned the launch of the Ministry of Agriculture's sustainable agriculture initiative, one of whose components is the urgent agricultural response fund in partnership with the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission. The Ministry is still mobilizing efforts, funding and partners for this initiative, wherein a high committee will be established to assess the losses due to the ongoing violations in order to compensate the farmers for these losses and to ensure the continuity of production.
Jerusalem Governorate warns against herder settlements and the essential need to strengthen the resilience of Jerusalem farmers with human resources.
For her part, Tahani Al-Lawzi, Advisor to the Jerusalem Governor, spoke about the suffering of the villages in the Jerusalem Belt (Nabi Samueel, Al-Khalayleh Quarter, Beit Iksa), where no approvals have been issued by the Israelis for permits to start harvesting. She noted that there are 18,000 Jerusalemite farmers left without any support, emphasizing the importance of providing them with human resources to strengthen their steadfastness on the ground. Al-Lawzi also cautioned about Israeli pastoral herders and the support the occupying state provides them for expanding their settlement outposts, bringing them what they need of sheep and cows, fodder and barns, etc., and supplying them with the necessary water lines, in order to help them seize the land and replace the native inhabitants.
The Civil Defense is operating at its maximum capacity.
In turn, Mahmoud Abu Khadija, Director of the Volunteer Administration in the Civil Defense, reported that the agency is participating in the campaign by forming volunteer youth committees and obtaining their support, as well as providing the Civil Defense team with whatever gear is at hand that can be used in case of any emergency, noting that the Civil Defense has limited resources and is operating at its maximum capacity.
The importance of the campaign's sustainability is equal to its achievement of its seasonal goal.
Nusra Azreel, Assistant Governor of Salfit Governorate, emphasized the importance of sustaining the campaign, especially amidst the rising number of Israel violations and the Governorate’s limited resources. She also highlighted the necessity of involving the Ministry of Labor to explore any possible intersections of responsibilities and the potential to support the unemployed, including those who used to work within the Green Line, in addition to the workers from Gaza.
Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO), “We work with farmers at the village level.”
Abbas Milhem, the Director General of the Farmers' Union and a member of the coordinating committee of the NGOs’ Network, indicated that the network organized its olive-picking campaign with farmers in villages. He also called for adopting the current successful model, wherein municipalities are coordinating and working with organized farmers' groups through committees, and coordinating and following up with security agencies (the Civil Defense), the Red Crescent, the Red Cross, the media and the Israeli military civil liaison (COGAT) as well as forming crisis committees in the governorate. This is within the framework of a national campaign, with the government working to provide financial resources and policies to direct them, in addition to a supportive and enabling environment, especially given the tenfold increase in the number of attacks on defenseless areas in the last couple of years.
Serious projects that have not seen the light of day due to procrastination and delays.
Milhem also criticized the delay and procrastination in implementing some ideas that are intended to move from a reactive approach to institutionalization. He cited some examples that have not seen the light of day, such as the allocation by the 18th government of an emergency fund of 50 million shekels to transform the Jordan Valley into appealing areas, as well as the formation of specialized agricultural councils, both of which were adopted and approved in three readings but are still pending final approval from the legal advisor. Additionally, there has been no Cabinet decision regarding the mechanism to support livestock breeders by a five-member committee composed of several ministries and the General Secretariat of the Cabinet, which has been in the works for over a year. Had that last particular project seen the light of day, it would have supported livestock breeders with a 16% reduction of their tax dues.
Red Crescent, “We train volunteers in an emergency plan to ensure proper action in any emergency.”
Rehab Aabed, Director of the Volunteers Department at the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, commented that the Red Crescent has worked in 35 locations and will, in the future, work in 60-70 locations. She called on everyone to work together based on an emergency plan that would ensure the protection and safety of all involved, with first aid volunteers trained in the safe arrival and withdrawal plan, which must be supported by first responders with complete medical kits they need to handle any emergency.
AMAN: Institutionalizing a national plan under central supervision will ensure the campaign's sustainability at all times.
Dr. Azmi Al-Shuaibi, Advisor to the Board of Directors of the AMAN Coalition for Anti-Corruption Affairs, summarized the issue, emphasizing the importance of institutionalizing the national plan, especially with the involvement of multiple parties, which requires centralized supervision for the appropriate implementation of the plan that is intended to support farmers and repel settler violations. This plan should be approved by the government, with the Ministry of Agriculture playing a leading role, and the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission serving as its secretariat. The latter will manage the work, set priorities and prepare the necessary budgets, with local bodies acting as an executive pivot to ensure sustainability.