The Olive Tree

Imagine Thanksgiving in the heat of the sun, surrounded by family, taking time off from work, gathering fruits and olives for days at a time.

For most Americans this would be a horror but for the Palestinian this yearly tradition is something of a holiday.

“During the harvest brother and sister leave work, the kids are out of school and everyone is in the field when the season is right,” says Dr. Mazen Ali, a Palestinian who is a farmer by day and orthopedic surgeon by night.

“All the family meeting is like a special holiday for us. We will spend the entire day in the field picking fruit by hand and eating from the branches. Some times we don't even eat meat on days of harvest,” he said.

The olive tree is sacred to the Palestinian identity.

“The olive oil tree is a holy tree. You can damage certain trees but if you damage an olive tree it is a huge problem. If I am angry from you I don't attack your emotionally I can go in the night and cut your olive tree,” Mazen said.

Living in the North District of Israel, Mazen is living in Israeli territory and therefore has Israeli citizenship. While much of his family has been able to maintain their land throughout the conflict he does feel pressure on his land.

His roots to the area are deep, with olive trees aged nearly 3,000 years old and a home at 600 years of age – taking 5 years to build centuries ago – the Ali family feels deeply connected to the area.

In recent years however the cultivation of the land between Palestinians and Israelis has changed significantly.

“Until 2 years ago Palestinian production of olive oil was higher than the Israeli. Nearly twenty years ago 80% olive oil was produced by the Arab Palestinian and just in these two last years production has became 50/50,” he said.

The reason Israelis have made up for so much production is not that the Palestinian is producing less but that the Israeli is producing more. By utilizing modern farming equipment that does not require families to leave work and cultivate the field the Israeli farmer has made the process more efficient.

What this means for the future of olive oil production is unclear but for Mazen he will always cherish the time he spends with family in the field.