Why is the annual olive harvest so important for Palestinian families living in the occupied West Bank?
Around 100,000 Palestinian families, most of them in the West Bank, depend to some extent on the olive harvest for their income. I say “to some extent” because the olive harvest mostly provides a secondary income for Palestinian families. Nevertheless, with high unemployment rates and so many people struggling to make ends meet, a good harvest can make a significant contribution to a family’s budget. The olive trees and harvest also represent an important part of Palestinian heritage and tradition. The groves are handed down from one generation to the next, as the trees can live for hundreds of years. The trees are therefore a symbol of the Palestinians’ deep connection to the land and of their way of life. Usually, every family member participates in the harvest. It is a collective effort that brings together young and old. For a number of years, however, the olive harvest has been hampered by restricted access to groves in areas between the West Bank barrier and the 1949 Armistice Li
