English Members of the Landworkers’ Alliance Internationalism Working Group recently met with the Palestinian member organisation of La Via Campesina; the Union of Agricultural Work Committee (UAWC). In this blog post, they share an update from UAWC on the situation in West Bank and Gaza, and share news of LWA’s new member-led Palestine Solidarity Twinning Project, which we hope will help to foster grassroots links between LWA Members here in the UK and farmers in Palestine.
Manufactured famine in Gaza
In Gaza, the destruction of vital infrastructure and farmland, the mass displacement of people and the blocking of food aid has resulted in catastrophic hunger and food insecurity for more than 2 million people.
Before the 7th of October, farms and orchards covered almost half of Gaza’s total land area and more than 7,500 greenhouses contributed to an agricultural sector normally worth over $575m a year. Gazans produced a diverse range of crops despite limited resources, including olives, pomegranates, citrus, watermelons, potatoes, barley, wheat and many other fruits and vegetables along with cattle, sheep, goats and poultry.
It is difficult to get an accurate picture of what has happened, and is still happening, across Gaza. However, some of the figures are shocking:
- During the initial days of the conflict, Israeli forces completely destroyed a quarter of northern Gaza’s farm holdings and 70% of Gaza’s fishing fleets.
- Since October, at least 40% of Gaza’s total farmland has been destroyed by bombs and bulldozers.
- A third of Gaza’s greenhouses have been destroyed.
- Half of Gaza’s trees have been razed.
- Around 60-70% of livestock have either been killed or prematurely slaughtered to feed people.
There have also been calls for Israel to be investigated for ‘ecocide’ – a war crime under the Rome Statute. The Geneva Conventions state that warring parties must not use methods of warfare that cause “widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment”. There are warnings that the war’s impact on Gaza’s ecosystems has made the territory unliveable, ultimately leading to the collapse of agriculture, along with conditions for long-term famine, for many years to come.
Violence and land grabs in the West Bank
While the focus has largely been on Gaza, Palestinians in the West Bank have faced a sharp increase in both the levels of violence they have endured, and amount of land they have had stolen.
In a harrowing account via video call, UAWC told us about the huge upsurge in violence from armed settlers, often backed by the military, which is preventing farmers from safely accessing their land. 100,000 settlers have been armed since 7th October and the UN recorded more than 700 settler attacks during this period. More than 600 people have been killed in the West Bank since 7th October, 85 houses and more than 100 cars have been burned, while large numbers of greenhouses and agricultural infrastructure has been damaged.
The olive tree has become a focal point of the occupation of the West Bank. More than 800,000 Palestinian olive trees have been uprooted by Israel since 1967. For Palestinians, the olive tree represents their livelihood but also their connection to the land. One farmer, Shaadi Saleh, said, “You have to understand olive trees take a long time to grow. Maybe 50 years or more, so you can’t just replace them. For me, my olive trees and my sons are the same. They are all my children.”
Yet the last olive season was the worst in history – half of farmers in the West Bank were unable to harvest their olives last year at a cost of $70m, affecting up to a third of the Palestinian population in the West Bank. There are now fears for this year’s olive harvest, which is due to begin next month. With Israel’s recent unprecedented military operation in the West Bank and the rise of armed settlers who act with impunity, this could be the bloodiest harvest yet.
Access to land is also a major challenge, with more than 840 checkpoints and Israeli military gates between communities and their land. The checkpoints cut towns and villages off from each other, as well as from their land, and more than 18 communities are completely split from half a million dunums (50,000 ha) of their land.
One villager, Awdah Hathaleen, has said on social media, “The shepherds now have been completely cut off from their pastures and fields. What is even worse is that the settlers have now begun grazing their sheep within the borders of the village. Imagine seeing the one who confiscated your land, who prevented you from using it by force, imagine seeing him walk around with his sheep in your village while you just sit, unable to do anything.”
In March 2024 the Israeli government annexed nearly 2,000 acres of the fertile Jordan Valley in a move seen as part of a wider strategy to seize control of resources and ultimately displace Palestinians from the West Bank. Similarly, at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Battir, near Bethlehem, home to ancient agricultural terraces as well as the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library started by Vivien Sansour, Israel has approved an illegal settlement which will annex over 150 acres.
Seeds of resistance
Despite these immense hardships, UAWC are working tirelessly to help farmers and communities through a number of initiatives, including developmental and emergency projects, such as supporting evicted communities with food parcels, job creation initiatives, cash allowances and agricultural inputs. Their goal is to achieve food sovereignty, an essential way to resist occupation and preserve Palestinian heritage and the connection with their land.
Critical to this has been the creation of a seed bank to protect indigenous seeds which they are now distributing to 1,200 farmers in the West Bank. The seed bank has now been connected to other seed banks in Brazil, Malaysia, France and Norway. The LWA hopes to connect them to seed banks here in the UK.
Working together through cooperatives is another key strategy, with 120 cooperatives now established across the West Bank and Gaza, including youth cooperatives and women’s cooperatives, supporting people to grow food and create jobs in their communities.
Sowing seeds of solidarity with Palestine
At the LWA winter gathering back in February, a group of us huddled together in one of the member-chosen workshops to talk about the devastating situation in Palestine, and how we might stand in solidarity with people there. A number of people in the room knew first hand the injustice of the system to which all Palestinians living under Israeli occupation are subjected, with collective experiences spanning way further back than October 2023.
Somebody spoke about the importance of boycotting companies such as Coca Cola, which directly profit from the theft of Palestinian land and exploitation of other resources. Another described their experiences staying on a farm in the West Bank. We talked about the isolation that Palestinians feel, and the importance of visible signs of support. We agreed for some members to hold up messages of solidarity in Arabic and send photos to our Palestinian counterparts, The Union of Agricultural Workers Committee (UAWC).
As the session was drawing to a close, the spark of an idea formed. What about a farm to farm twinning project? Projects in the UK twinning with individual projects in Palestine, sharing their stories, and… well… anything else that the organisations decided on.
Our initial idea was this: “To create person to person, land to land, connections, particularly so share the realities of farming under occupation with LWA members and the wider community in the UK. With Palestine in the hearts and minds of many in the alternative food and farming movement, this could be a vehicle for solidarity.”
Fast forward seven months and we are delighted to announce that we are ready to invite members to get in touch if you’re interested in taking part in the project!
Image credit: UAWC
