Olive production in Palestine facts for kids
Olive trees are a very important crop in the Palestinian territories. Most of these trees are grown to make olive oil. It's thought that olive trees cover 57% of the farmed land there. In 2011, there were about 7.8 million olive trees that produced fruit.
In 2014, farmers pressed about 108,000 tonnes of olives. This made 24,700 tonnes of olive oil. This oil added about $10.9 million to the value of the crop. Around 100,000 families get most of their money from olives.
Many Palestinians see the olive tree as a symbol of their country and their bond with the land. This is because olive trees grow slowly and live for a very long time. Sadly, the destruction of Palestinian olive trees has become a part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. There are often reports of damage caused by Israeli settlers.
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History of Olives in Palestine
People have grown olive trees in this region for thousands of years. Some signs show that olive groves and olive oil making started around 3600–3300 BCE. Later, in the Bronze Age, olive fruits were traded a lot. A sunken ship, the Uluburun shipwreck, might have been carrying olives from Palestine.
Olives and olive oil were very important in the main religions of the region. In Jewish holy books, olives were seen as a blessing for the Promised Land. They were a sign of good times. In the New Testament, the Mount of Olives is a special place. Anointing with oil is also a part of Christian and Islamic religious practices.
Between 1700 and 1900, the area around Nablus became the main place for olive production. Olive oil was even used instead of money back then. The oil was kept in deep wells in the city and nearby villages. Merchants would then use it to make payments.
By the late 1800s, more and more land was used for cash crops. By 1914, there were about 475,000 dunam (which is about 47,500 hectares or 112,000 acres) of olive groves. These were spread across the area that is now Israel and the Palestinian territories.
During the time when the British ruled Palestine (called the British Mandate), olive production more than doubled. This happened between the 1920s and the 1940s.
The olive harvest was the main way Palestinians earned money during the first Intifada. It was so important that public places, universities, and schools closed for the olive season. This allowed as many people as possible to help with the harvest.
In 2014, UNESCO named Battir a World Heritage site. This was because of its important farming history. Its olive production shows a landscape with many farm terraces, water springs, old irrigation systems, and olive presses.
Today, olive oil is a key product that Palestinians in the West Bank export. Many villagers see olive oil as a way to be financially secure.
How Olives Are Produced
Most of the olives harvested are pressed in the West Bank. Many olive oil presses are found around the town of Jenin.
Most of the olive oil made in Palestine is used by people living there. Olive trees naturally have years with lots of olives followed by years with fewer. This causes big changes in how much oil is made. But on average, about 4,000 tonnes of olive oil are made more than needed each year.
The biggest buyer of this extra oil is likely Israel. However, exact numbers are not collected, so it's hard to know for sure where the oil goes. The rest is sent to Europe, North America, and countries in the Gulf region.
The International Olive Council estimates that Palestinian olive oil production was about 22,000 tonnes per year in 2014/15. About 6,500 tonnes were exported.
| Palestinian Olive Press Statistics 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Area | Total Olives (tonnes) | Total Olive Oil Pressed (tonnes) | Total Added Value (million US $) |
| Palestine | 108379.1 | 24758.2 | 10.9 |
| West Bank | 88356.4 | 21241.5 | 9.1 |
| Gaza | 20022.6 | 3517.0 | 1.8 |
Types of Olive Trees
The main types of olive trees grown in the Palestinian territories are Chemlali, Jebbah, K18, Manzolino, Nabali Baladi, Nabali Mohassan, Shami, and Souri. Scientists have studied Nabali Baladi, Nabali Mohassan, and Surri types. They found that these are true types of olives with clear differences.
Olive Trees in Palestinian Culture
Olive trees are a big part of traditional Palestinian farming life. For two months, starting in mid-September, several generations of families gather to harvest the olives. This harvest season is often a time of celebration for these families. They organize family and community parties with traditional Palestinian folk music and dancing.
The act of picking olives is seen as a community effort. People work together, feeling like they are helping their community.
Because olive farming is so important to Palestinian culture, the removal of olive trees by Israeli settlers is a big worry. Poet Mourid Barghouti said that olive trees are like an "identity card" that never expires. He also said that when an olive tree is removed, it's like a family history falling apart.
In religious texts, olives are mentioned often. Islamic teachings also hold olives in high regard.
More recently, the olive tree has become a symbol of being deeply connected to the land. After a conflict in 1982, the olive became a symbol for Palestinian identity. Olive trees are common in the mountains of the West Bank. Palestinians connect their long history in Palestine to the ancient olive trees rooted in their land.
Olive trees also have a national meaning in Palestinian culture. In 1974, Yasser Arafat gave a speech at the United Nations General Assembly. He said that the olive tree was a "proud symbol" and a "living reminder that the land is Palestinian." He ended his speech by saying, "Today I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom-fighter's gun. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand."
Damage to Olive Trees
Legal expert Irus Braverman wrote in 2009 that Palestinians see olive groves as a symbol of their long and strong connection to the land.
The United Nations reported that by 2013, 11,000 olive trees owned by Palestinians in the West Bank had been damaged or destroyed. A newspaper reported in October 2014 that "More than 80,000 Palestinian farmers get a large part of their yearly income from olives. Harvesting the fruit, pressing the oil, selling and sharing the produce is a ritual of life."
In 2012, Israel was asked to protect olive trees in the West Bank after trees were removed in several areas. In 2014, trees were removed in other places. It's estimated that between 800,000 and one million trees have been destroyed since 1967. In 2016, trees were removed to build a road in Qalqilya. In 2017, workers started removing olive trees to build a bypass road near Azzun and Nabi Ilyas.
According to international rules, an occupying power can only take land to build roads that help the people living there or for military needs in that specific area. In January 2017, an organization called B’Tselem reported that there were about 60 kilometers of roads that Palestinians were not allowed to use. Many trees, some 700 to 1000 years old, have been removed or damaged. This happens to build walls, roads, or other projects, and for building settlements. This has caused money problems for families, especially when they are separated from their farms.
Recent Incidents (2021)
In 2021, up to October, settlers damaged 8,000 trees in the West Bank. In just the first two weeks of the olive harvest in October 2021, 18 cases of damage to Palestinian olive groves were reported. This included trees being hit, chopped down, or having their fruits removed.
