UAWC launches “Our Olive Tree is Our Homeland” campaign
Ramallah – The Union of Agricultural Work Committees, in partnership with Jawwal, launched on Sunday “Our Olives Tree is Our Homeland” olive harvest campaign. The campaign aims at supporting Palestinian farmers and empowering them on their lands; the first day was in Burin village near Nablus where 60 volunteers from UAWC, its committees, Jawwal, Birzeit University students, and some international supporters participated. On Monday, 35 volunteers participated in the campaign at Azoun village near Qalqilia.
UAWC confirmed that this year’s campaign comes in the light of the escalated violations of the Israeli occupation forces and settlers against farmers, especially in the areas that are close to settlements and the apartheid wall, in addition to imposing the permit system which forces farmers to committing to certain days for harvesting, and allows only a limited number of people to access the land.
The campaign will continue until the 30th of October targeting Azoun village near Qalqilia, Deir El-Ghsoun in Toulkarem, Ni’lin and El-Janyeh in Ramallah, Nahaleen in Bethlehem, Sousya in Hebron, and Deir-Estia in in Salfit.
It is also worth noting that the olive harvest at Nahaleen village on the 21st of October 2016 will be supported by and with the participation of the European Union Representative office in Palestine, as part of the EU’s program in supporting and developing area C.
UAWC, which represents Palestine in the International Peasant Movement (La Via Campesina), will be joined in the campaign- which the Norwegian People’s Aid Supports- with volunteers from the Landless Workers Movements (MST) from Brazil, as well as volunteers from France, Italy, and Japan, in addition to voluntary work groups of the different Palestinian cities.
The campaign not only aims to empower farmers on their lands, but also to reinforce the importance of voluntary work and solidarity amongst people, and deliver the Palestinian farmers’ voice to all countries.