Join the Olive Harvest Campaign, 2004

Olive Harvest Campaign, 2004

Join us in Palestine!

Palestinian agricultural organizations and farmers, in coordination
with the International Solidarity Movement and the IWPS, announce
the 2004 Olive Harvest Campaign. The campaign will take place
between October 5 and November 15.

More information and registration will be available on our website
shortly. For preparation and contact information, please see our
website, http://www.palsolidarity.org or write to info [at] palsolidarity.org.
Join us in Palestine for the Olive Harvest!

The Olive Harvest Campaign, 2004, will challenge settler and
Israeli army actions that deny Palestinians access to their land and
the right to harvest their crops. Specific areas where the
construction of the Wall, recently ruled as illegal by the
International Court in the Hague, has resulted in increased
suffering on the Palestinian people by confiscating cultivated land
and denying access to farmers, will be targeted This will include
focusing on areas where gates in the Wall that separate farmers from
their land and markets are arbitrarily controlled by the Israeli
Army.

Volunteers for the Harvest Campaign will accompany farmers to assist
in accessing their farms. In addition, they will serve as witness
to expose the attacks by settlers, supported by the Israeli Army, on
farmers and their families. The presence of internationals during
harvest time has proven in the past to help both limit, and decrease
the severity, of attacks.

The olive harvest is an extremely important activity for the lives
and livelihoods of Palestinians and their communities. In the past
four years agricultural productivity has decreased dramatically due
to closures and sieges which prohibit access to agricultural land
and markets. The Wall and increased attacks on farmers and their
families in the fields has further impacted their ability to earn a
living.

Harvesting olives is also a statement of connection to the land and
a symbol of life. Palestinians are the indigenous people of this
land who have harvested olives for thousands of years. They are
continuing to be separated from their land by the construction of
the Wall and expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, building of
by-pass roads and the creation of "security-zones" by the Israeli
Army. In addition, over half a million olive and fruit trees have
been destroyed since September 2000. Palestinian agriculture is
being effectively destroyed by the policies of the Israeli
government and the rights of Palestinians to their land and to a
livelihood are being denied.

The International Solidarity Movement calls on you to join us this
Fall to participate in non-violent protest of the on-going
confiscation and destruction of Palestinian land and the illegal
policies of denying farmers access to their lands, markets and water
sources. This campaign is part of the on-going work of the
International Solidarity Movement, (ISM),a Palestinian-led movement
of Palestinian and International activists working to raise
awareness of the struggle for Palestinian freedom and an end to
Israeli occupation. ISM utilizes nonviolent, direct-action methods
of resistance to confront and challenge the Israeli occupation.
This year we are calling on you to join us for the olive harvest in
Palestine.

With international accompaniment, we can help ensure that
Palestinian farmers and landowners are not met with brutal and
sometimes lethal violence as they attempt to harvest their crops.
With your help and participation we will expose the injustice of the
Israeli occupation and send a message to the world that the
occupation must end and the Wall must fall!

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Important Notes:

1- It is recommended that you stay for at least two weeks, though if
this is not possible, your presence anytime throughout the duration
of the campaign is appreciated.
2- It will cost you approximately $150 per week for food,
accommodation and travel in Palestine
3- Training and orientation is mandatory for participation
More information is available on our website – http://www.palsolidarity.org