‘Trees for Life’ branches out – plants over 5,000 new olive trees in Palestine

Trees for Life, launched in Summer 2006, has been a huge success. 300 Olive Co-operative supporters have raised over £20,000 to plant more than 5,000 new olive trees in Palestine. Particularly generous donations have come from Zacharia Mosque, Bolton, who raised over £10,000, funding 2,500 trees; and the New Statesman, who offered olive tree sponsorship with magazine subscriptions, attracting sponsorship for 870 trees. Trees For Life – Planting Peace in Palestine is a partnership with Olive Co-operative, Palestine Fair Trade Association (PFTA) and Zaytoun, which offers the public the opportunity to sponsor the planting of olive trees in Palestine.

Olive Co-operative has recently returned from another successful tour of Palestine. Tour participants helped to plant new olive trees sponsored as part of the program, and met the farmers and communities whose livelihoods are being supported.

The new olive trees help to offset the destruction wrought in Palestinian olive groves by the Israeli army and settlers. According to the Applied Research Institute Jerusalem over 500,000 olive trees have been destroyed since 2000. Each new tree sponsored represents a long-term source of income for Palestinian families, who have been harvesting olive oil, fruit and wood for generations.

The trees are grown in a nursery in Jenin and distributed in Palestine by the PFTA to farmers who follow fair trade guidelines and who will benefit from future purchases of Palestinian olive oil. Sponsored trees have been planted in 18 Palestinian villages in the Jenin, Nablus, and Salfit areas.

Trees for Life program is continuing, with an appeal this month for Tu Bishvat, the Jewish festival marking the new year for trees, in partnership with Jews for Justice for Palestinians. Tu Bishvat is a traditional time to plant new trees. £20 sponsors five trees. Sponsorship online and by post is available.

‘Olive Co-operative’ is a not-for-profit workers’ co-operative seeking to raise awareness of the difficulties faced by Palestinians, and to support those working for a just peace in Palestineand Israel. It aims to do this by three main means: sponsorship of new olive trees, arranging informative tours to Palestine and Israel, and selling Palestinian fairly traded goods in the UK. More information can be found at www.olivecoop.com or by calling 0161 273 1970.

The ‘Palestine Fair Trade Association’ (PFTA) is a union of farming and producing cooperatives, traders and processors based in Jenin that promotes and supports fair and equitable trading principles. These principles are developed locally by PFTA and are compatible with international fair trade principles and in keeping with Palestinian traditions. PFTA is also active in promoting fairly produced Palestinian products in international fair trade markets in Europe, North America, Australia, and Japan. See www.palestinefairtrade.org  

‘Zaytoun’ is an ethical business established to support marginalized farming communities in Palestine, principally by importing fairly traded Palestinian olive oil and other agricultural products and by promoting fair trade with Palestine. See www.zaytoun.org

Valere Tjolle