Memorandum from Israel: Olive Trees Are a Security Threat

The soldiers laughed.

An old woman cried.

The Israeli army bulldozer went about its work today, demolishing over 100 olive trees, all less than 10 years old, in Susiya, South Hebron Hills.

Army vehicles gather near olive grove demolition site, Susiya, South Hebron Hills.

The soldiers continued to laugh.

“Halas” they said (“enough”), as the old woman cried. She screamed at the bulldozer to stop.

The soldiers laughed some more.

Apparently, in an army manual somewhere, it reads to “hand the locals a glass of water.”  And so the soldier handed a glass of water to the woman.  Angrily, she threw it on the ground.

The soldiers laughed some more.

The trees had been planted and cared for by the woman and many of the village children.

All that’s left after the Israeli army destroyed the olive trees in this terraced grove.

The army’s stated reason for demolition of these trees:  they posed a “security threat” to the settlers living in the archaeological site adjacent to the terraced grove.

The army had demolished the woman’s home years earlier, located very close to this grove.  The State of Israel had pushed off the inhabitants of this land from their homes in the 1980’s and declared the place an “archaeological site.”

Standing amidst his mature olive trees in the neighbouring grove, an old man named Issa, watched.  One never knows where the bulldozers will go next.

Issa watching the demolition of the neighbouring olive grove.

Two or three of his young trees were demolished today.  Sadly, he showed them to us.

One of Issa’s young trees, demolished today by the Israeli army.

Issa holding the branches from one of his destroyed trees.

I know this man.  He remembered me.  We had provided protective presence for him while picking olives during the olive harvest of October 2011.  He offered to make me tea today,  once the bulldozers left.

When the damage was done, the bulldozer dumped its final  load of demolished trees into a trailer.

Bulldozer leaving the grove to dump its final load of destroyed trees.

Following an army jeep, the bulldozer then pulled out of the grove, driving through Issa’s mature grove.

Bulldozer and army jeeps leaving the olive grove.

It was followed by the truck pulling the trailer of olive tree remains, and more army jeeps.

Trailer load of destroyed olive trees leaving grove.

Nervously, we watched.  Would they stop and demolish these mature trees?  Not today.

All vehicles left the field, and the bulldozer was loaded onto a flatbed trailer.

This was one of four demolitions across the West Bank today.  All demolitions are related to people’s livelihood.

Peace, Salaam, Shalom,

Jan