The olive oil has been mentioned in the Bible 140 times. The Torah and the Quran are refering to it as a symbol of life and fertility.
The olive tree is the symbol of peace, tranquility, prosperity and significant economic importance.
This tree in the Middle East has become a reason of war between Israel and Palestine. The building of the separation wall is causing major destruction on many-many olive trees.
For the construction of this almost 500 long kilometers wall, the destruction of agricultural land is necessary. About 200 meters wide and an additional 50 meters for the building of the settler roads. The farmers have lost thousands of acres of agricultural land and mostly olive orchards in the West Bank.
This land is getting abandoned and becomes easier for the Israeli government and settlers to take over and build more colony-settlements. The Palestinian olive orchard owners don’t have the right to go against the Israeli policies and they are getting robbed of their source of income for their families.
The olives and olive oil harvest had a significantly negative effect in 2009, because of the war. The heavy bombing during the war have completely destroyed forty-five square kilometers of olive orchards. The exporting has declined, due to the declined production levels of olives and olive oil. We all know that when the production declines, the price rises.
Mohammad Agha the Minister of Agriculture in Gaza said that the Israelis have destroyed 130 square kilometers from 1967 to 2005 and mostly olive orchards. He also said that all the chemicals from the weapons used in the war had a tremendous negative effect on the olive oil production and 200 tons of oil were produced, instead of 1500 produced in normal years.
The destroying of the olive tree by the Israelis is unjustifiable and the International interference has encouraged the continuation of the Israeli activities.
The International community should step in, stop the destruction and hold the Israelis accountable for their crimes. Also compensate the Palestinians for the damages and help them financially and protect them from other attacks.
Property destruction by the Israelis violates the Fourth Geneva Convention and is a crime under The Convention. It is also a violation for the trade policies of the Paris Protocols of 1954, under which, Israeli and Palestinian goods have free access to each others market.