5 Reasons Why Olive Trees Are Important to Palestine

I originally wrote this article to be featured on PaliRoots, however it did not make it. I still think it was good enough to share so I shall share it here. Hope you enjoy! :)

Everyone and their Siti knows that Olive Trees are a very important factor of our land. Palestine is home to over 12 MILLION Olive Trees and some of which can be found to be as old as 4,000 years, according to Bethlehem University[1]. Lots of these trees are passed down in families from generation to generation, in sharing their land.

1. Olive trees are significant due to how synonymous they are to Palestinians. These trees grow, even through harsh circumstances. It does not rain much during the off-season, yet these trees still manage to flourish immensely. They are drought-resistant and continue to grow under poor soil conditions. Most plants cannot survive under the same conditions that an Olive Tree can. This just goes to show just how much beauty there is in the struggle. They resemble our resilience as Palestinians and the love we have for our land. We take care of these trees because they have meaning to us. They are not just some plants we can replace. These plants are useful and hold sentimental value.

2. The Harvesting Season is a great time of year for Palestinians. Everyone comes together, in the fields, collecting their ripe olives from their trees. The Harvesting Season starts in Mid-October and ends in Mid-November, usually. It takes about a month to pick all the olives from the trees depending on how much you own. Once you have your olives picked, you take them to the Olive Press to extract the oil from the olives for everyone’s personal use. Olive Oil has so many amazing benefits to it. Besides being a great ingredient in multiple dishes and finger food, the olive oil can be used for business. Families will sell their oil for income to people who need it. The Olive Oil has multiple health benefits as well. For example, it can be used as a dietary product, it can be used as a medicine for those suffering with digestion issues, as well as even being used to help people suffering with low cholesterol.

3. Olive Oil from these trees is an important and delicious ingredient in many Palestinian dishes, such as Mansaf, Mlukhiya, and Maklouba. It can also do wonders as a side dish on hummus. Lots of Palestinians use the olive oil for business as a source of income. It is very easy to make and sell and saves them the money from buying their own for personal use. Through this method, the wonders of the Olive Tree can be spread to people all over the world. Families back home will ship out olive oil to us here in America, because the olive oil from Palestine is much better than from anywhere else.

The wood from the olive trees can be used to carve statues and create art portrayed in museums and can be great souvenirs from Bethlehem. The Palestinian Heritage Center is very famous for these wooden creations and souvenirs. In the Summer of 2018, I visited the Church of Nativity, in the heart of Bethlehem. Near the church were multiple different souvenir shops that sell lots of wooden crafts. All of which are handmade and carved from the wood of the famous Olive Tree of Palestine.

4. The Olive Tree is the national tree of Palestine. No matter where you walk, or what part of our beautiful land you are in, you will most certainly find an Olive Tree. These trees carry several forms of symbolism along with them. They represent peace, resilience, and thriving through hard times. These trees are a part of our everyday life. Taking care of them is our natural instinct. They hold lots of history within them as well. These trees are as old as the land. They have lived through the history we learn about in schools and have survived the harsh climate change we have seen throughout history and continue to see today, in modern times.

5. The Olive and its oils are also very prevalent in the history of the 3 biggest religions dominating Palestine. Olives and olive oil had a significant role in all of the major religions which developed in the region. In Christianity, When Israel conquered Canaan, the olive tree was a prominent feature among the flora of the land. It was described as a “land of olive oil” (Deut.8:8). The olive was a very important source of revenue to the early Israelites. It was tithed upon along with all the produce of the land (Deut.12:17).[2] Olives, oil, and the trees themselves are sacred in Islam, as well. There are verses mentioning them in the Holy Qur’an. There are several references to olives, olive oil and olive trees in the Quran. One reference is a solemn promise that comes directly from the mouth of Allah, demonstrating the sacred nature of the olive: "By the fig and the olive, and by Mount Sinai, and by this secure city, surely, We have made man in the finest order." Taking this promise as a representation of the olive's sacred nature in the eyes of God, Muslims have carved prayer beads out of the wood of olive trees for hundreds of years.[3] In Judaism, Olive oil was a daily commodity for the children of Israel and this importance is reflected in several verses. Disobedience to God would result in a loss of the olive crop (Deuteronomy 28:40). The oil honored both God and men (Judges 9:9) and was a component of the anointing oil of the high priest (Exodus 30:24). Large supplies of oil were a sign of prosperity. The excess oil can be stored for up to six years; such stores were of national concern. For example, in the days of King David, Joash was given the important charge of oil supplies (I Chronicles 27:28).[4]

1. Olive trees are the most prominent in the entire Middle East. The oil is treasured by Palestinians who use it daily. A simple Palestinian breakfast is just bread and olive oil, often dipped first into a spicy mixture of herbs and salt.

Sources:

[1] https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/who-is-murdering-the-olive-trees-of-palestine-1.60260089

[2] https://olyvenbosch.co.za/biblical-mystery-of-the-olive-tree/

[3] https://classroom.synonym.com/what-do-olives-represent-in-islam-12087654.html

[4] https://ww2.odu.edu/~lmusselm/plant/bible/olive.php