Latest news with #olive trees
Wall Street Journal
6 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- Wall Street Journal
An Enclave of Americans Finds a Difficult New Reality in the West Bank
TURMUS AYYA, West Bank—Amid the olive trees and rolling hills of the central West Bank sits a little slice of Americana. The villages of Turmus Ayya and Sinjil are full of American dual nationals who have come to retire or to raise families in a place where their dollars go further and it feels like home. Many speak English as their go-to language, live in large suburban houses and eat in East Coast-style pizza parlors.
BBC News
19 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
BBC witnesses settlers attack on Palestinian farm in West Bank
From among the broken remains of Brahim Hamaiel's olive trees, in the occupied West Bank, we saw the masked men approach.A dozen settlers, charging down from the illegal outpost above his farm and across the field towards us, moving fast and carrying large sticks.A sudden and unprovoked had been showing us the trees he said had been hacked to pieces this week by settlers from the outpost. His family have farmed olives here on land near Turmus Aya, for generations, making it a target for extremist settlers who think killing Palestinian trees and livestock will also kill the idea of a Palestinian State, by forcing residents like Brahim off their land."Fear is natural," Brahim had told me, looking up at the ridge where tarpaulin flapped at the settlers' lookout post in front of a few caravans and makeshift homes. "But there's something stronger than fear that drives me to stay here – the scent of my ancestors and an attachment dating back hundreds of years – even if I pay the price with my blood."As the masked men run towards us, we pull back to the road and drive a safe distance minutes, some of Brahim's neighbours from the surrounding farms and villages gather with catapults and stones to confront the attackers. Vegetation by the side of the road is set on fire, its smoke signalling the site of the confrontation, as settlers on a quad bike chase away a volunteer emergency crew trying to reach a farmhouse in the middle of the field.'Stop shooting! My daughter is dead': Woman killed as West Bank power struggle ragesThis is now a familiar routine. Palestinians living in these villages south of Nablus say there are attacks and confrontations on their lands every week, and that settlers are using these kinds of tactics to take over the land, field by the speed and spread of this attack is little more than an hour, dozens of settlers had fanned out across the hills. We watched as they broke into an isolated building, and methodically set fire to vehicles and on the furthest ridge rushed their flocks away, as the hillside behind them broke into flames, smoke billowing up from several then, Palestinians arriving from across the area to help their neighbours found the main access road blocked by the Israeli army, as the destruction Palestinian was reportedly beaten by settlers, and the army later told us that both sides had hurled rocks at each other, and that Palestinians had burned tyres. It said four Israeli civilians received medical treatment at the the crowd waiting near the army roadblock, we found Rifa Said Hamail, her frantic gestures giving way to a warm smile and embrace when we spoke to her. Rifa told us her husband was trapped in their farmhouse near Brahim's olive farm, and surrounded by settlers, but that the army wouldn't let her pass."Every other day the settlers do this to us – they attack us, cut down the olive trees, and burn the farms," she said. "This is not a life. No one can stop them. We have nothing to resist them with. They have weapons, we have nothing."We later learned that settlers had torched part of their property, and that Rifa's husband had been left with cuts to his face and leg, after being hit with Israeli organisation Peace Now, which monitors the spread of settlements in the West Bank, says the number of outposts – and settler aggression – has multiplied since the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023, and the Gaza War that olive harvest under threat from Israeli attacks and restrictionsSince the beginning of last year, it says, some 100 outposts have appeared across the West Bank. It also found that hundreds of square kilometres of land had been taken over by settlers in the past few years using the same violent pattern of intimidation – encouraged, it says, by government support and a lack of proper law enforcement by week, Israel's far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, announced the creation of thousands of new housing units in a large West Bank settlement bloc further south, saying it would "bury the idea of a Palestinian state".Between 5-11 August, the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs documented at least 27 settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in casualties, property damage or both, across two dozen different communities. These attacks, it said, led to the displacement of 18 weren't able to speak to any of the settlers involved in the attack we witnessed. The local settlers' council told us there were elements on both sides seeking provocation, which it strongly told us he had filed two separate complaints about the attacks on his land, but few Palestinians here have much faith in Israeli justice or security forces, saying repeatedly that they protect only the of the volunteer emergency crews who came to help during the clashes on Saturday told me the Israeli army had prevented them from reaching the scene."We were trying to rescue the young men, when the army came, honking at us and telling us to get away from here," Yahya al-Khatib said. "We were volunteers wearing our vests. We're not here to attack or harm settlers. We want to put out fires and treat injured people. But they [the army] stop us and stand in our way." Tensions between local residents and settlers are complicated by the increasingly heavy control of Israeli forces across the West Bank, which has seen the evacuation and widespread demolition of refugee camps across the northern West January to June this year, the UN found that 149 Palestinians were killed by Israeli settlers or soldiers in the occupied West Bank. Nine Israelis were killed by after the clashes that erupted around Brahim's farm on Saturday, another Palestinian casualty was added to that grim Hamdan Abu-Elaya was shot and killed by Israeli troops in al- Mughayyir village, a few miles from Brahim's mother told us he'd gone to see the fires lit by settlers nearby. "I raised him for 18 years, and he was gone in a minute," she asked the Israeli army what happened. It said "terrorists" had thrown rocks and Molotov cocktails at troops in the village, and that soldiers had "responded with fire to remove the threat".Hundreds crowded into Hamdan's house for his funeral on Sunday, as his body was carried in for his mother to say father, Ameen Abu Elaya, raging to friends and family, said he refused to show the Israelis his tears."They thought if they killed our son, we would leave," he said. "I will not shout and scream and say 'why has he gone?' I'm not sad that he passed. I encourage young men to do anything they can against the criminal occupier."At the local mosque, there was a hero's welcome for Hamdan's body as it was carried in for the funeral prayer – vast Palestinian flags hung alongside those of Fatah and Hamas from the rooves and windows; crowds lining the path of the the language of this conflict, each birth and each burial only strengthens the ties to the reporting by Morgan Gisholt Minard
Zawya
7 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Oman: Olive sector grows to 20,000 trees, 83 tonnes in annual yield
MUSCAT: Across the mountains, particularly in Al Jabal Al Akhdhar and the Western Hajar range, olive trees thrive in a revitalised agricultural landscape that reflects the nation's ambitious vision for food security and diversified income. The journey began in the 1990s with the introduction of 10,000 saplings from various cultivars. Some varieties quickly adapted to local conditions, laying the groundwork for olive farming as a promising sector. Today, success is not only in cultivation but also in production. In 2022, Oman produced over 83 tonnes of olives and 10,000 litres of olive oil. Yet, demand far outstrips supply, with more than 24,000 tonnes of olives imported between 2020 and 2022 — underscoring the need to boost local output. Government bodies and institutions have supported farmers through free sapling distribution, training programmes and modern olive mills, increasing the number of trees to 20,000. Omani olive oil is now gaining regional and international recognition for its high quality and distinctive flavour. Sustainable growth, however, demands overcoming challenges — a mission championed by Prof Rashid bin Abdullah al Yahyai of the College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences. His project identifies optimal cultivation areas based on climate and water resources, introduces high-yielding varieties, and promotes best practices in pruning, irrigation and fertilisation. Innovation is also driving the sector forward. By-products such as olive leaves and pomace, often discarded, are being explored for transformation into value-added nutritional and functional products. Research aims to enhance processing efficiency and create sustainable economic solutions for operational hurdles. These efforts form a clear road map — not just towards self-sufficiency, but towards positioning Oman as a significant player in the regional olive market. In doing so, Oman enhances food security and bolsters its economy by fostering an innovative and sustainable agricultural sector.
