‘Rooted in this land until death’: A Palestinian family’s olive harvest

Umm Safa, Occupied West Bank – Six-year-old Nasser Tanatra is frightened of the rock-strewn hilltop wherever helium utilized to play and prime flowers adjacent his household home.

The boisterous child, the youngest of 7 siblings, utilized to dash to the apical of Jabal al-Ras with his 10-year-old sister Urood to stitchery chaotic sage and zaatar.

But successful mid-September, astir 20 Israeli settlers, protected by soldiers, erected tents and began surviving connected the hilltop, astir 50 metres (164ft) from the family’s two-storey home.

Ever since, they person attacked and harassed the Tanatras and their neighbours successful the Palestinian colony of Umm Safa. At nighttime the settlers occurrence bullets into the aerial and merchandise assertive dogs to roam extracurricular villagers’ homes. From above, they flash agleam lights onto the houses, blare euphony and sing loudly.

But the worst incidental for the Tanatras occurred soon aft the caller settlers arrived.

The household was watching the evening quality erstwhile soldiers launched teardrop state and settlers changeable unrecorded bullets towards their home. Although cipher was injured, during the much than hour-long attack, a terrified Nasser slipped distant from his household successful panic and darted outside. He past ran nether gunfire to his grandmother’s location 100 metres (328ft) away. He has been traumatised ever since.

“He says, ‘Mama, I americium frightened to permission the house. I americium frightened to sleep. I americium not hungry. I americium frightened to spell outside. I americium frightened to spell to school,’” explained Nasser’s mother, Manal Tanatra, 40, with a frown, arsenic she helped a neighbour stitchery olives successful precocious October.

“This isn’t a life. It isn’t. Our house, our land, we are surrounded and strangled and attacked, and adjacent to harvest our olives is simply a danger.”

The yearly olive harvest play successful October and November is simply a clip erstwhile Umm Safa’s families travel unneurotic to prime olives from the aforesaid trees their ancestors cultivated. But the accomplishment of the outpost and the expanding settler unit person made harvesting an enactment fraught with danger, and the villagers tin ne'er beryllium definite however a time successful the groves volition unfold.

In past seasons, Nasser accompanied Manal to the groves to play. Since the attack, helium has hardly near home.

A presumption from the Tanatra family’s onshore [Al Jazeera]

‘During the day, we are strong’

Umm Safa, a colony of respective 100 radical astir 12km (7.5 miles) northbound of Ramallah, sits connected a hillside supra terraces of olive trees.

Since Israel’s warfare connected Gaza started successful October 2023, the villagers, similar different Palestinians crossed Area C – the 60 percent of the occupied West Bank nether afloat Israeli subject power – person endured escalating restrictions from the Israeli subject and attacks from settlers.

In mean times, the Tanatra household location is live with the conversations and laughter of Nasser and his six older sisters, aged betwixt 10 and 20. The household would play games unneurotic or, connected peculiar occasions, grill chickenhearted oregon kebab outside.

These days, the location is quieter. The 2 eldest daughters, students astatine adjacent Birzeit University, often enactment connected campus, owed successful portion to the dangers connected the roads from settlers and recently erected checkpoints wherever villagers picture being detained and adjacent deed by soldiers.

Manal’s hubby Saher utilized to enactment arsenic a operation labourer successful Israel and made astir 6,000 shekels ($1,650) a month. The 50-year-old would spell to enactment and instrumentality location each time for the sunset prayer. After the warfare started, Saher, similar different Palestinian labourers from the occupied West Bank, had his licence to participate and enactment wrong Israel revoked. He present hustles to marque ends meet, braving roadworthy closures, settler attacks and subject checkpoints to supply for the household of 9 arsenic a taxi operator successful Ramallah. He earns acold little than helium utilized to.

“The enactment is precise airy successful the taxi,” said Saher. “Each day, I mightiness get lone 50 shekels ($14). But 50 shekels a time is amended than nothing.”

These days, helium is fortunate to instrumentality location astatine all, and often stays successful Birzeit with his oldest children owed to the precarious conditions. When helium does marque it home, helium parks his taxi a region distant from the location and the outpost supra them to effort to support it safe.

After it gets dark, cipher successful the household – oregon the colony – dares to measurement outside, fearful that soldiers whitethorn transportation retired apprehension raids oregon that the settlers whitethorn attack.

“During the day, we are strong, we are together,” said Manal arsenic she took a interruption from olive picking. “But successful the night, we are each hidden successful our homes, messaging each other, sleepless, fearful and disquieted astir the unit that is waiting for america outside.”

Manal sifts olives utilizing the metallic framework of an aged instrumentality [Al Jazeera]

Systematic violence

Located betwixt the amerciable Israeli settlements of Halamish and Ateret, the radical of Umm Safa person endured stone-throwing and onshore grabs by settlers for years.

Then, aft the 32-year-old Israeli settler Zvi Bar Yosef established his archetypal outpost, Zvi’s Farm, successful the country successful 2019, attacks against Palestinians escalated, often instigated by settlers grazing their herds connected onshore belonging to the villages of Jibiya, Kobar, and Umm Safa. Villagers successful the country study being assaulted by Bar Yosef and different settlers, astatine assorted times having teeth knocked retired oregon being tied up, according to Israeli quality rights radical B’Tselem. In 2020, Naji Tanatra, a distant relative of Saher’s, survived a skull fracture from being attacked by respective settlers aft helium tried to thrust Bar Yosef’s livestock from backstage Palestinian groves successful Umm Safa.

Bar Yosef’s encroachment connected Umm Safa escalated successful the summertime of 2023 erstwhile helium acceptable up a caller outpost arsenic a grazing country adjacent olive groves conscionable beneath the village’s main street. After gathering absorption from villagers, dozens of settlers from the adjacent settlements and outposts stormed done the village, mounting homes and cars connected fire.

In July 2023, Israeli forces successful abstracted incidents killed 2 villagers, Muhammad Bayed, 16, and ‘Abd al-Jawad Dar Saleh, 24, amid demonstrations against the settler takeover of colony land.

The unit intensified successful the past twelvemonth aft the Israeli subject erected further checkpoints adjacent and blocked the 2 main colony entrances with robust gates and mounds of dirt, leaving lone a single, circuitous way done adjacent villages for cars to participate and leave.

Then, opening successful September, Bar Yosef – internationally sanctioned this twelvemonth for inflicting unit connected Palestinians and preventing them from accessing their onshore – established the outpost connected Jabal al-Ras. It includes 2 tents and a barn for his sheep and goats. Bulldozers operated by settlers spent weeks creating a roadworthy for the outpost earlier the settlers moved in.

The outpost besides affects the children who be the section school, adjacent the Tanatra home. Marwan Sabah, caput of the Umm Safa colony council, described however settlers outcry and look astatine children arsenic they marque their mode to and from school. In October, according to Sabah, settlers changeable astatine schoolchildren who were taking a interruption from people 1 morning, aft which the schoolhouse sent the children home.

Bar Yosef did not respond to Al Jazeera’s petition for comment.

Settler outposts instrumentality antithetic forms. Some person mobile homes, others tents. Shepherding outposts, similar the ones tally by Bar Yosef, are a caller maneuver that enables settlers to instrumentality arsenic overmuch onshore arsenic imaginable with lone a tiny fig of people. Although amerciable nether Israeli and planetary law, outposts are successful signifier provided with round-the-clock subject security. They are wide understood to beryllium portion of a larger effort by settlers and – done demolitions, onshore policies and fiscal and information enactment of settlers – the authorities to thrust Palestinians retired of lands successful Area C and make contiguity betwixt the settlements, rendering immoderate aboriginal Palestinian authorities successful the occupied West Bank impossible.

Saher (L) and Manal beryllium among the trees that person been successful Saher’s household since his great-grandfather arrived successful Umm Safa during the Nakba, oregon catastrophe, successful 1948. [Al Jazeera]

‘Baba and I are present to support you’

On a sunny time successful precocious October, a week aft Manal helped her neighbour prime olives, she and her daughter, 18-year-old Nagham, a carnal therapy student, harvested olives connected their household land. Manal’s sister-in-law, Abla, 37, and her mother-in-law, Kifah, 61, worked connected a terrace supra them.

At noon, Abla and Kifah climbed down to stock a luncheon of caller vegetables, labneh, olives, breadstuff and homemade olive lipid with Manal and Nagham nether the shadiness of a tree.

The 4 women were harvesting the 15 dunams (1.5 hectares) and 150 olive trees that person been successful the household since Saher’s great-grandfather came to Umm Safa. He was violently expelled from his colony of Tantura during the Nakba, oregon catastrophe, successful 1948 erstwhile Zionist troops forced astatine slightest 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and lands.

“Though Umm Safa is simply a tiny area, it’s filled with horror,” said Abla. “Filled with horror. You person the settlements of Ateret, Halamish; Jabal Al-Ras is present a horrifying subject zone.

“Everything is enclosed astir us, and nary 1 tin travel to the rescue nary substance what happens.”

Since the outpost was established, Manal and her children nervously cheque the windows astatine night, watching for signs of the adjacent attack. Often, they are the ones being watched.

“When I travel to the house, [the settlers] ticker me,” said Manal. “When I permission the house, they ticker me. When we get successful the car, we conscionable look guardant and thrust consecutive – straight! And commune to God to support america safe.”

In caller months, successful summation to the shooting, settlers person stolen and killed livestock; thrown rocks astatine homes; destroyed h2o pipes, star panels, fences and olive trees; and torched cars. Saher erstwhile had to unreserved to determination his taxi earlier settlers could acceptable it connected fire. On the evening of December 1, settlers attacked villagers arsenic they laid down a h2o line. They fired unrecorded bullets portion soldiers with the Israeli service fired teardrop state astatine people.

Meanwhile, subject apprehension raids are “continuous” according to Sabah, the colony assembly head. He says they are designed to intimidate. “The intent is to judge the caller world of settlers,” helium explained, adding that 2 villagers are presently imprisoned.

People successful the colony present instrumentality turns to support ticker astatine night, letting others cognize astir immoderate incursions via WhatsApp.

Manal and Saher sometimes perceive whimpers and cries from the rooms of their youngest children. The barking of the settlers’ dogs often keeps them awake astatine nighttime but erstwhile they bash sleep, they person nightmares astir the settlers attacking.

“Don’t worry, Nasser,” Manal tells her lad arsenic she cradles him successful her arms. “Baba and I are present to support you. They won’t travel back. You are safe.

“In beforehand of the settlers, I effort not to amusement fear,” Manal said. “But astatine home, astatine night, erstwhile I clasp my children – I americium afraid.”

Marwan Sabah, caput of the Umm Safa colony council, astatine a solidarity harvest [Al Jazeera]

‘They ne'er stop’

Sabah has spent this olive harvest play successful the fields, connected 1 telephone telephone aft another, coordinating movements among tense villagers.

He says the harvest play is simply a cherished customized – “part of our emotion and passionateness for the land”.

“We utilized to enactment up precocious until the evening portion we were harvesting the olives together,” Sabah explained. “But now, we unrecorded successful a authorities of fearfulness and terror.”

This year, Sabah says men spell to harvest successful tense groups portion women and children person mostly stayed distant from the fields.

The yearlong closure by the Israeli subject of the 2 main colony entrances has mostly forced radical to spell to their olive groves by ft oregon by donkey, making harvesting much hard and dangerous. According to Sabah, service restrictions and settler harassment prevented immoderate families from reaching their groves and completing their harvest – an economical lifeline for galore who trust connected the income from selling olive oil.

But the women successful the Tanatra household and others from the wider household were determined to proceed with their harvest, contempt the intimidation and attacks. One morning, Manal and Nagham coiled effortlessly done the thick, thorny brushwood to scope their olive trees successful the vale below. Kifah and Abla worked successful the fields arsenic did Manal’s different daughters, schoolhouse permitting, portion Saher took clip disconnected from driving the taxi.

Abla described however 1 time erstwhile they were making their mode to their groves, settlers surrounded them with their dogs. Just the erstwhile day, she explained, a settler connected a tractor changeable unrecorded bullets successful their absorption arsenic they picked olives. “We unrecorded successful fear, not knowing what volition happen,” she said.

Another day, a settler entered the Tanatra household location with his dog. He fled erstwhile Saher returned from the fields. “We ne'er permission immoderate of the children unsocial successful the house,” Manal explained.

In the aboriginal evenings earlier the prima sets, villagers instrumentality from the groves. On the main thoroughfare of Umm Safa, they anxiously stitchery to sermon the latest service restrictions oregon settler incursions.

One evening, with a battery-powered, rake-like harvesting instrumentality implicit 1 shoulder, 50-year-old Hassan Tanatra, a relative of Saher’s, arrived connected the main street.

“Two settlers stopped america connected the thoroughfare threatening america if we went to the harvest,” Hassan shared, upset. “Every day. Every day! They ne'er stop.”

Nagham stands connected a histrion to stitchery olives [Al Jazeera]

Season marked by violence

Israeli settler unit has increased successful the occupied West Bank since the warfare successful Gaza started, with much than 1,400 recorded incidents, much than 1,200 Palestinians forced from their homes and the enlargement of amerciable outposts and roads.

Since October 1, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has documented astatine slightest 250 settler incidents straight related to the olive harvest, compared with astir 90 incidents recorded during the 2023 harvest. In this caller period, astatine slightest 57 Palestinians were injured by Israeli settlers and 11 by Israeli forces portion much than 2,800 olive trees and saplings were damaged oregon destroyed.

Throughout the olive harvest season, Palestinians person been prohibited by the Israeli subject from accessing backstage Palestinian onshore located wrong declared colony boundaries, arsenic good arsenic on the settler roads that chopped done Palestinian villages similar Umm Safa. Soldiers besides often prevented Palestinians from harvesting olive groves crossed different onshore successful Area C.

Even successful locations wherever the Israeli subject has fixed support for families to harvest connected circumstantial days adjacent declared colony boundaries, determination person been accounts of soldiers preventing harvesters from reaching their land, including by shooting teardrop state and dependable grenades, oregon settlers attacking Palestinians. On October 17, successful the colony of Faqqua adjacent Jenin, Hanan Abu Salami, 59, was changeable successful the backmost and killed by an Israeli worker portion picking olives with her lad aft the household had received support to harvest adjacent the West Bank separation barrier.

Local colony councils, unneurotic with Palestinian, Israeli and planetary activists, subsequently coordinated solidarity harvests astatine assorted hotspots, including on the settler roadworthy passing done Umm Safa.

People articulation the solidarity harvest successful Umm Safa connected October 23 [Al Jazeera]

“The attacks connected the harvest this year, successful practice betwixt the service and Israeli settler militias, marque it precise wide that Israel is trying to signifier a caller presumption quo nether which Palestinians’ entree to their onshore volition go adjacent much constricted than the catastrophe it’s been before,” said Jonathan Pollack, an Israeli activistic and co-organiser of the Faz’a solidarity harvest campaign, which accompanied respective twelve harvests this year.

“We are joined unneurotic to support this onshore Palestinian arsenic it is by ineligible deed and by right,” said Mohammad Fayed, a unpaid who came to Umm Safa from Ramallah for a solidarity harvest connected October 23. “We volition enactment these radical successful immoderate mode we tin and marque definite the olive harvest is completed.”

“The settlers mean to displace the radical of Umm Safa,” said Sabah astatine the solidarity harvest. “This is simply a connection that we volition stay steadfast and we volition harvest our olives. We are rooted successful this onshore until death.”

On the past time of Manal and Saher’s harvest, they stock a repast with Saher’s brother’s household [Al Jazeera]

‘Today is beautiful’

On the greeting of October 31, Manal roseate aboriginal to hole caller breadstuff with zaatar successful the oven outside. It was the tenth and past time of their harvest.

Manal and Saher anticipated Nasser yet joining them arsenic they completed the household harvest. “We privation to decorativeness it together,” she said.

A period and a fractional aft the onslaught connected their home, Nasser was starting to look similar his accustomed bubbly aforesaid again, moving astir and being the centre of attention. After not leaving the location for weeks, helium had begun to task extracurricular and, aft refusing, agreed to articulation his household successful the groves.

Before breakfast, Nasser boasted with a giggle astir however helium would ascent the olive trees similar the Spiderman connected his T-shirt.

But his worries inactive seeped through. “I anticipation the settlers don’t travel and onslaught america again,” helium said. “Last nighttime I heard their dogs, and it was scary.”

After breakfast, Manal, Saher, 2 of their daughters and their lad climbed down the elevation towards their land. Saher carried a harvesting machine, and Nasser’s high-pitched jabbering punctuated the aboriginal greeting sounds of chirping Palestine sunbirds and olive trees swaying successful the breeze.

Nasser harvests olives with a integrative rake [Al Jazeera]

Abla and her husband, Omar, Saher’s brother, who were finishing their ain harvest, worked conscionable a fewer terrace levels supra them with their young children.

From her sifting presumption connected the ground, Manal gave instructions. Azeeza, 15, placed the tarps beneath the trees truthful Saher could dislodge olives with the machine. Kifah gingerly picked up escaped olives, portion Manal sifted olives utilizing a metallic ligament instrumentality to transportation to a bucket for Nagham to transportation up the elevation to determination into ample sacks. Nasser pried a fewer olives escaped with a integrative rake earlier his attraction drifted to chasing his six-year-old relative Ahmed astir the trees.

For lunch, the extended household gathered to devour maqluba, the classical Palestinian crockery of rice, chicken, and vegetables flipped upside down from a cookware onto a ample plate. As they sat unneurotic eating, chatting and laughing, the household for a infinitesimal was astatine ease.

Despite the threats, the Tanatras completed their harvest – collecting astir 100kg (220lbs) of olives.

Manal remarked “how proud” she was of Nasser for overcoming his fears to articulation his household successful the harvest.

“Nothing this twelvemonth feels normal,” she said arsenic her lad darted past. “But contiguous is beautiful.”