For this episode I joined the olive tree planting in Al Khadr, organized by the Keep Hope Alive campaign that is run by the JAI. (Joint Advocacy Initiative of the East Jerusalem YMCA and the YWCA of Palestine)
I interviewed several people on the field, some of the organizers and participants of the planting day. We talked about the threats that Palestinian landowners experience from expanding settlements, violent settlers and the army who are after the Palestinian land, trying to take it by force or in legal procedures. If land is not planted and exploited then it is easier for the Israeli settlers and the State to confiscate it through legal ways. That's why most Palestinians are planting olive trees. The trees do not need as much care as agriculture crops or grape vines, so even if they don't have regular access to their land due to the Israeli restrictions, walls and checkpoints, the olive trees have a larger chance to survive.
If you want to read more about the Olive Tree campaign you can follow this link:
https://www.jai-pal.org/en/campaigns/olive-tree-campaign
If you follow Stories from Palestine on social media you weekly get to see some extra information, photos and videos on Facebook and Instagram. You can also subscribe for the weekly e-mail. All the links can be found here: https://linktr.ee/Storiesfrompalestine