The Oppression of Palestinians

As well as covering ecological issues, this protest draws attention to an egregious example of the expropriation of Palestinian land.

972 magazine reports that climate justice and human rights activists from the ‘One Climate’ group chained themselves to entrance of an Israeli quarry to protest the theft of Palestinian land and destruction of local ecology.

Palestinians themselves could not join the protest because the quarry is located on the “Israeli” side of the separation fence.

“We came to stop the destruction, to make the connection between the occupation and annexation and climate,” said Mor Gilboa, one of the leaders of One Climate, who chained himself to the entrance of the quarry. “The plan to expand the quarry is not only being carries for economic reasons, but also to create contiguity from the settlement of Elkana to Rosh HaAyin,” he said.
Read the article here

Palestinian farmers returning from the olive groves behind the West Bank Barrier.

UN agencies and international NGOs call for the protection of Palestinian olive harvesters.  In the first four weeks of the season alone (7 October – 2 November), the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recorded 33 incidents where people known or believed to be Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians or damaged their trees or produce. Twenty-five Palestinians were injured, over 1,000 olive trees were burnt or otherwise damaged, and large amounts of produce were stolen.  https://www.ochaopt.org/content/un-agencies-and-international-ngos-call-protection-palestinian-olive-harvesters

The olive harvest started in October but Palestinian farmers face grave restrictions.  Imagine only being allowed on to your land twice a year and even then only for a day or two when much longer is necessary in order to tend the trees and harvest the crop.  The lady in the photo is 77 years old and lives within sight of her olive trees, but she has to apply to the Israeli army to gain access.  In fact, she believes the army conspires with the (illegal) settlers to steal the harvest and vandalise the trees – https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestine-west-bank-olive-harvest-farmers-israel-settler-attacks-pandemic .