I'm Jewish & went to the West Bank to help the olive harvest AMA

[Echobelly]

I got back at the weekend from a week-long trip organised by a consortium of Jewish and Israeli charities and voluntary organisations. We spent 5 days in the West Bank assisting Palestinian farmers with their olive harvest, so AMA, I guess!

Oh, wow. That's really wonderful.

How were the farmers you met doing?

That’s really brave and kind of you, did you meet with any harassment or witness any intimidation/violence?

Great. Do you do this annually? Are you British? Who did you travel with - no need for names?

What is the work situation that means that having people fly in to help for a week makes sense? Is there a lack of local labour or restrictions that make employing locals problematic?

I used to live in the West Bank, in the Al-Bireh area. I have friends in Nablus who are Palestinian Muslims and are doing their best to survive at the moment.

Where in the West Bank did you do the harvest? I thought the Israelis had closed the check points so how did you get in?

Really? Haven't you heard/read about Israeli 'settlers' attacking Arab farmers trying to tend to their farms?

Well done! Where were you staying overnight? What was the mood like in the run up to the Israeli elections? Curious to know whether there was any optimism

So are jewish volunteers effectively a human shield against settlers, whilst also assisting with the harvest?

I'm interested because most voluntourism isn't an effective way of supporting communities, but this may well be an exception.

@TicklishReader - the farmers were extremely worried about harvesting. Several had not to been able to access their sites since October 7th, or only very occasionally. We harvested with some women who had not been able to get to their groves in the last 3 years and they were so overjoyed to be back there - one wonderful old lady walking with a stick was determined to get there even though it was a difficult climb.

@MissyB1 - on our third day, we were detained en masse by the Police on totally spurious grounds. They had to release us but it took around 8 hours, our Israeli organisers won an appeal yesterday over receiving a 30-day ban from the West Bank as they had evidence to prove there was no reason they couldn't be where we were at that time. On Friday Settlers harassed the organirs, roadblocked our minibus as we tried to leave and called the police on the remaining group.

@bellinisurge First time I've done this, the group was called Protect the Harvest and I heard about it through synagogue friends.

@Weirdpig - farmers are being harassed, intimidated and sometimes attacked by Settlers, the Army often closes off their land with no warning so they can't access it. What we were there to do was 'protective presence' - with more people it is harder to intimidate the farmers or to make the effort to close off the area, plus it means the harvest can be completed fast before authorities or settlers come to interfere.

@WestBankResident - they closed a lot of checkpoints on Friday evening, but our group had left by then. I think they must have reopened as I believe a new cohort made it in this week.

@Matzochist - we stayed near Bethlehem, some in a hotel some, like me, with a host family. There was little optimism regarding the elections - none of the main parties seem to have any interest in supporting any form of Palestinian state.

@Weirdpig - one thing I liked about this is that there is a very practical outcome. The olive harvest is vital income that the farming families rely on and our being there increases the likelihood of them getting it in, and we did get harvest to 4 families in that, even if only a fraction of it before we were detained on Wednesday. Interestingly for all the pains they go to to stop it, where the authorities appeared they did let the farmers keep their olives, which was a big relief.

I can completely relate to your experiences. I was attacked by settlers when driving between Jerusalem and the West Bank. They spotted me on my own and tried to run me off the road. Very scary. They used to train their children to throw rocks at cars going in and out of the checkpoint heading out to Jericho. They sent letters to us saying we were colonialist occupiers and they would cut our heads off.

Presence and letting them know you are a witness is positive action. The IDF would have shot one drunk Palestinian man approaching them at a check point if we hadn't been there and made a point of making it clear we were watching.

I'm glad they got to keep their harvest. That will at least bring some hope but there's little to go around at the moment. It's so heartbreaking.

I dont have any questions but just wanted to say what a wonderful thing to do @Echobelly in a world filled with divisiveness it's wonderful to hear stories like yours shine through.

Agreed.

@Echobelly do you mind my asking which charity you went through and did your schul organise it? I know of the Israeli charity Rabbis for Human Rights, and a couple of joint Israeli-Palestinian grassroots movements (Combatants for Peace and Standing Together)...

Do you not watch or read the news?

You refer to Settlers in your replies OP, which implies you don’t identify as a Settler. Can you tell us anymore about that? Where do you normally live? Do you consider people living in the established State of Israel to be Settlers?

Well done, OP. You should be very proud of yourself.

How were the illegal settlers towards you, given that you’re fellow Jews?

Protect the Harvest was a new group this year backed by various charities including New Israel Fund, and the groups you mentioned were also part of it. There was a large contingent from Rabbis for Human Rights, and a big group from Standing Together joined us on Friday.

@EveningSpread - I am British Jew, so not a settler. Do I regard those in Israel as settlers? No. Settlements in Palestinian territory are illegal under international law; Jews living in Israel is not illegal, so they're not settlers.

There are many, many issues with the foundation of Israel and around it now. Its foundation was, an continues to be, a disaster for the Palestinian people. However, to declare somehow that Jews shouldn't be there and have to leave would just replace that with a disaster for the Jewish people (not just those in Israel). I feel that all we can do is come up with the least awful solution for everyone involved, which I'm not qualified to do. A bare minimum start would be to remove all settlers and settlements from what is currently designated Palestinian land.

@malefields - I didn't come face to face with Settlers, but they are generally pretty pissed off at any Jews helping Palestinians, but a bit less likely to attack as they might actually get in some trouble for that.

Thank you for replying. The happiness you describe those women feeling is both heartwarming and heartbreaking.

People like you give me hope for this world.

It was very moving. Some reporters were with us and I heard the translator say how one woman was saying she didn't have the words to express how she felt being back in their grove, and how this time used to be a celebration with all the family, it was both, as you say, uplifting but broke your heart. Those women were so brave and dignified - I was only there a week but this is their reality every single day.

Best thread this year. Well done you, you are a seriously lovely person!
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Did you have in your mind what happened on Oct 7 23 to so many Israelis who helped support Palestinians in difficult situations. And how their generosity of spirit was rewarded.

I'm well aware that Hamas killers did not and would not distinguish between victims who were pro-Palestinians and not. That is not a reason never to help any Palestinian; becoming as indiscriminate and hardened as the murderers Hamas sent into Israel is never the answer.

Thanks OP!

Do you think there are many Jews living in Israel who are sympathetic to your actions, or Palestinians? Reading between the lines of yours posts I’d assume if so they are in a minority?

Do you think it’s different for you, since you don’t live in Israel?

Do you think Israeli Jews generally conflate Hamas and all Palestinians?

What do you know about how Israeli Jews view Netanyahu and his rhetoric? Do they believe that the war against Palestinians is about survival at all costs, or is that generally accepted to be a useful excuse for expansion?

(Its so hard to even ask questions about this without feeling like one’s foot is in it!)

Were you seriously frightened at any point?