In fields where one group often challenges their neighbours who own and work the land, two peace activists, Israeli Amos Gvirtz and Palestinian Issa Souf, are busy picking olives and building bridges of justice and peace together.
What does it mean to plant an olive tree? For people in the Holy Land, and in many other regions, this act of love bears deep cultural, spiritual, and economic meaning. In 2019, UNESCO established 26 November as World Olive Tree Day.
“Just as you cannot live without water, olive oil is the same for us—and the olive tree is our life,” explains a smiling Abu-Issa under an awe-inspiring 13-meter olive tree. Its umbrella of branches extends over the al-Walaja hills, just north of Bethlehem.
