why does israel destroy the olive trees? (i hope i don't come off as offensive or antagonistic i'm just honestly curious) (i'm on anon because i'm nervous and anxious about asking questions not because i want to start an argument or something)

pax-arabica:

la-xingada:

jurhfalastini:

tabooshi:

hi you’re okay anon i know you’re not being antagonistic it’s alright. israeli settlers and idf soldiers burn down and uproot olive trees both as literal violence and cultural violence. olive farming is a major industry of palestine and provides for tens of thousands of families. these trees are ancient, they are beloved by their communities and have been taken care of for generations. it takes at least 20 years for olive trees to bear fruit!!! although farmers plant new olive trees, this has been going on for over forty years and is systematic - the livelihood of these communities cannot be regrown overnight.

Another reason they destroy olive trees is purely for expansion and land grab reasons. Often, most Israeli settlements are built on village lands. If it’s not for settlement reasons, then it’s usually to expand the wall. You get the idea. 

not only do they uproot and burn Olive trees, a native plant to the land, but they have planted thousands of Conifers, which are non native to the land and actually native to Europe. 

Israel explains that conifers were planted because they are “fast growing plants” and therefore give “life” to an “empty” land. I have also heard that they were planted to make the settlers feel “at home”. 

Israel’s way of making the dessert “bloom” is literally uprooting Indigenous life and replacing it. People and plants.

Conifers are catagorized as “invasive species”, their ability to spread fast damages native environments, as its the case with New Zealand, South Africa and Palestine.

the full circle of settler colonialism:

Israeli made conifer forest in Palestine. 

[Gary Fields, writes about this]

Did you know that a lot of these pine forests were planted to cover up the ruins of destroyed Palestinian villages in 1947-1948?

People interested should read this article by Ilan Pappe.