The Olive Tree: a Symbol of Peace?
By Raff Ellis
YellowTimes.org Columnist (United States)
(YellowTimes.org) - There are many legends surrounding the genesis of the olive tree. Greek mythology credits the creation of the olive tree to the goddess Athena who, in a dispute with Poseidon, struck her spear into the ground where it turned into an olive tree. Some Greeks still believe that all olive trees are descended from Athena's creation. Also, according to Biblical tradition, a dove carried an olive branch to Noah's Ark, signalling the end of the great flood and a return to peace and prosperity.
To the ancient Greeks, the olive tree became a symbol of peace. They even used its branches to fashion wreaths to crown Olympic champions. So revered were they that anyone who uprooted or destroyed an olive tree could be sentenced to death. The ancient Romans were so enamored of these trees and their fruit that they considered anyone who consumed animal fats instead of olive oil to be a barbarian, and they extended olive cultivation to their entire empire.
What would these ancients think if they could witness what is happening today in the West Bank of Palestine? Statistics kept by the Palestinian Agricultural Ministry report that some 360,000 olive trees have been uprooted or destroyed during Israel's sustained occupation. If this seems like a large number, keep in mind that it is only a fraction of the total number of trees - including citrus, date and other fruit - destroyed under Israeli occupation. As of this writing, over one million trees have been lost for the sake of Israel's security, in the construction of settler roads, the new "Jailing Wall," and in the service of economic oppression and psychological warfare.
In the onslaught against this ancient peace symbol, a few enterprising Israelis have found opportunity. Many illegal sales of olive trees have been reported, with contractors offering lots of mature trees for $250 each. Olive trees, it seems, are quite hardy and can be uprooted, replanted and nursed back into production. The Israeli Defense Ministry hires contractors to uproot and replant trees, ostensibly to a location specified by their Palestinian owners. The only problem, according to an Israeli human rights organization, is that no trees have been relocated and have instead found their way into a thriving black market. Investigative reporters found an ancient tree for sale at a nursery for $5,000.
As the only crop grown on the stony hillsides in the West Bank, olive trees are the lifeblood of the Palestinian farmer. Such trees do not need supplemental irrigation and their fruit, a staple of the Palestinian diet, is understandably precious.
Palestinian folklore is rich in tales of the olive tree, whose deep roots Palestinians compare to their people's attachment to the land. Olive trees are like members of the family, and owners grieve the loss of a tree as they would that of a blood relative. Watching the destruction of his orchard, a Palestinian farmer was heard to cry, "These are my sons you are destroying." Mature trees recall the human ancestors who planted saplings that over the years have become abundant groves for their progeny.
As if the onslaught from the occupation forces were not enough, Israeli settlers also attack Palestinian farmers and their orchards. In 2002, Rabbi Mordechai Eliahu, Israel's former chief rabbi, issued a religious edict sanctioning Jewish settlers to steal Palestinian olive crops. The result has been not only the theft of a precious resource but also the murder of innocent farmers. We hear a lot in the West about fanatical Muslim imams issuing outrageous fatwas, but nothing about similar edicts from Israeli rabbis. Today, it seems a cruel irony that olive trees have not only lost their standing as a peace symbol but have become a casualty of war. Is this just a coincidence?
Thus, it surprised me to come across a nonprofit web site promoting the planting of olive trees in the Holy Land. A small group of American Jews, Palestinian-Americans - both Muslim and Christian - and American Christians of diverse backgrounds have formed an organization called The Olive Trees For Peace Foundation, Inc. The nucleus of the group had been meeting for a number of years, holding interfaith discussions about new and creative ways to facilitate peace in the Middle East. Their impetus is dissatisfaction with the leadership on both sides of this long-standing conflict, especially their inability to hold honest dialogue in the quest for just and peaceful resolution.
A year ago, a retired Palestinian-American engineer named Dr. Khaled Diab came up with the idea of planting olive trees for peace in the Holy Land. The group incorporated as a nonprofit organization and started raising funds. In the last planting season, which ended in February, they bought and distributed 10,600 trees, planted in Muslim, Christian, and Jewish villages in the Upper Galilee by both schoolchildren and adults. No farmer was allotted more than 20 trees - a guide predicated on the number of trees required to sustain a family of four. Dr. Diab has set an ambitious goal of planting one million trees in ten years. He is 77 years old, and hopes to still be around when his goal is achieved.
I called Dr. Diab and found that he fled Palestine in 1948 during the intense fighting that was taking place. After a few years as an impoverished refugee, he immigrated to the States, was educated and had a successful business career. After watching and lamenting the struggles in his former homeland for these many years, he decided that offering the olive branch, both literally and figuratively, is the only way to facilitate resolution. He has been able to put aside past grievances and has actually mustered up hope for the future. You have to envy his enthusiasm and optimism.
Perhaps the Foundation's efforts will end up as the proverbial drop in the bucket, considering the breadth and depth of the conflict that grips the Holy Land. As a person not usually given to optimism about human behavior, I must say that I admire Dr. Diab and his Foundation's efforts to do something other than bewail the hopelessness of the situation. I often receive mail from readers asking what they can do to help change the course of events in the Middle East. Perhaps this Foundation's work represents a step in that direction, once again making the olive tree a symbol of peace and prosperity in the land that three major religions revere as holy.
For a contribution of only $20, an individual can sponsor a tree in the name of an honored friend or relative, living or dead. Multiply the number of trees planted to date by one hundred, and you can appreciate the magnitude of the Foundation's goal and the work that lies ahead. Could another dove bearing an olive branch signal the end, as in Noah's time, of this great catastrophe? One could hope.
The Olive Trees for Peace Foundation's web site is: http://www.olivetreesfp.com .
[Raff Ellis lives in the United States and is a retired former strategic planner and computer industry executive. He has had an abiding and active interest in the Middle East since early adulthood and has traveled to the region many times over the last 30 years.]
Raff Ellis encourages your comments: rellis@YellowTimes.org
Article republished, courtesy of YellowTimes.org, in our Links section - for an external link - or: http://www.YellowTimes.org
Photo courtesy of the World Council of Churches http://www.wcc-coe.org/
Please also see related articles on "Olives" in our Economics section.
By Raff Ellis
YellowTimes.org Columnist (United States)
(YellowTimes.org) - There are many legends surrounding the genesis of the olive tree. Greek mythology credits the creation of the olive tree to the goddess Athena who, in a dispute with Poseidon, struck her spear into the ground where it turned into an olive tree. Some Greeks still believe that all olive trees are descended from Athena's creation. Also, according to Biblical tradition, a dove carried an olive branch to Noah's Ark, signalling the end of the great flood and a return to peace and prosperity.
To the ancient Greeks, the olive tree became a symbol of peace. They even used its branches to fashion wreaths to crown Olympic champions. So revered were they that anyone who uprooted or destroyed an olive tree could be sentenced to death. The ancient Romans were so enamored of these trees and their fruit that they considered anyone who consumed animal fats instead of olive oil to be a barbarian, and they extended olive cultivation to their entire empire.
What would these ancients think if they could witness what is happening today in the West Bank of Palestine? Statistics kept by the Palestinian Agricultural Ministry report that some 360,000 olive trees have been uprooted or destroyed during Israel's sustained occupation. If this seems like a large number, keep in mind that it is only a fraction of the total number of trees - including citrus, date and other fruit - destroyed under Israeli occupation. As of this writing, over one million trees have been lost for the sake of Israel's security, in the construction of settler roads, the new "Jailing Wall," and in the service of economic oppression and psychological warfare.
In the onslaught against this ancient peace symbol, a few enterprising Israelis have found opportunity. Many illegal sales of olive trees have been reported, with contractors offering lots of mature trees for $250 each. Olive trees, it seems, are quite hardy and can be uprooted, replanted and nursed back into production. The Israeli Defense Ministry hires contractors to uproot and replant trees, ostensibly to a location specified by their Palestinian owners. The only problem, according to an Israeli human rights organization, is that no trees have been relocated and have instead found their way into a thriving black market. Investigative reporters found an ancient tree for sale at a nursery for $5,000.
As the only crop grown on the stony hillsides in the West Bank, olive trees are the lifeblood of the Palestinian farmer. Such trees do not need supplemental irrigation and their fruit, a staple of the Palestinian diet, is understandably precious.
Palestinian folklore is rich in tales of the olive tree, whose deep roots Palestinians compare to their people's attachment to the land. Olive trees are like members of the family, and owners grieve the loss of a tree as they would that of a blood relative. Watching the destruction of his orchard, a Palestinian farmer was heard to cry, "These are my sons you are destroying." Mature trees recall the human ancestors who planted saplings that over the years have become abundant groves for their progeny.
As if the onslaught from the occupation forces were not enough, Israeli settlers also attack Palestinian farmers and their orchards. In 2002, Rabbi Mordechai Eliahu, Israel's former chief rabbi, issued a religious edict sanctioning Jewish settlers to steal Palestinian olive crops. The result has been not only the theft of a precious resource but also the murder of innocent farmers. We hear a lot in the West about fanatical Muslim imams issuing outrageous fatwas, but nothing about similar edicts from Israeli rabbis. Today, it seems a cruel irony that olive trees have not only lost their standing as a peace symbol but have become a casualty of war. Is this just a coincidence?
Thus, it surprised me to come across a nonprofit web site promoting the planting of olive trees in the Holy Land. A small group of American Jews, Palestinian-Americans - both Muslim and Christian - and American Christians of diverse backgrounds have formed an organization called The Olive Trees For Peace Foundation, Inc. The nucleus of the group had been meeting for a number of years, holding interfaith discussions about new and creative ways to facilitate peace in the Middle East. Their impetus is dissatisfaction with the leadership on both sides of this long-standing conflict, especially their inability to hold honest dialogue in the quest for just and peaceful resolution.
A year ago, a retired Palestinian-American engineer named Dr. Khaled Diab came up with the idea of planting olive trees for peace in the Holy Land. The group incorporated as a nonprofit organization and started raising funds. In the last planting season, which ended in February, they bought and distributed 10,600 trees, planted in Muslim, Christian, and Jewish villages in the Upper Galilee by both schoolchildren and adults. No farmer was allotted more than 20 trees - a guide predicated on the number of trees required to sustain a family of four. Dr. Diab has set an ambitious goal of planting one million trees in ten years. He is 77 years old, and hopes to still be around when his goal is achieved.
I called Dr. Diab and found that he fled Palestine in 1948 during the intense fighting that was taking place. After a few years as an impoverished refugee, he immigrated to the States, was educated and had a successful business career. After watching and lamenting the struggles in his former homeland for these many years, he decided that offering the olive branch, both literally and figuratively, is the only way to facilitate resolution. He has been able to put aside past grievances and has actually mustered up hope for the future. You have to envy his enthusiasm and optimism.
Perhaps the Foundation's efforts will end up as the proverbial drop in the bucket, considering the breadth and depth of the conflict that grips the Holy Land. As a person not usually given to optimism about human behavior, I must say that I admire Dr. Diab and his Foundation's efforts to do something other than bewail the hopelessness of the situation. I often receive mail from readers asking what they can do to help change the course of events in the Middle East. Perhaps this Foundation's work represents a step in that direction, once again making the olive tree a symbol of peace and prosperity in the land that three major religions revere as holy.
For a contribution of only $20, an individual can sponsor a tree in the name of an honored friend or relative, living or dead. Multiply the number of trees planted to date by one hundred, and you can appreciate the magnitude of the Foundation's goal and the work that lies ahead. Could another dove bearing an olive branch signal the end, as in Noah's time, of this great catastrophe? One could hope.
The Olive Trees for Peace Foundation's web site is: http://www.olivetreesfp.com .
[Raff Ellis lives in the United States and is a retired former strategic planner and computer industry executive. He has had an abiding and active interest in the Middle East since early adulthood and has traveled to the region many times over the last 30 years.]
Raff Ellis encourages your comments: rellis@YellowTimes.org
Article republished, courtesy of YellowTimes.org, in our Links section - for an external link - or: http://www.YellowTimes.org
Photo courtesy of the World Council of Churches http://www.wcc-coe.org/
Please also see related articles on "Olives" in our Economics section.