Olive Picking Program 2009

A program for Civil International Solidarity with Palestinians
The Joint Advocacy Initiative of the East Jerusalem YMCA and YWCA of Palestine and the Alternative Tourism Group.

A program for Civil International Solidarity with Palestinians

The Joint Advocacy Initiative of the East Jerusalem YMCA and YWCA of Palestine and the Alternative Tourism Group

For the sixth continuous year, the Joint Advocacy Initiative of the East Jerusalem YMCA and YWCA of Palestine (JAI) and the Alternative Tourism Group (ATG) are organizing the sixth Olive Picking Program 2009 in Palestine from 17th to 26th of October 2009. This agricultural event is of special significance to the Palestinian economy when all energies and efforts are mobilized.

Since the beginning of the second Intifada in 2000, the olive harvest has been overshadowed by the Israeli policies of repression, closure, blockage of streets, confiscation of agricultural lands, as well as repeated attacks against Palestinian farmers by Israeli settlers*. Now with the construction the Apartheid Wall and the expansion of Israeli settlements at the expense of agricultural land in the occupied Palestine, many farmers are separated from their trees.

Buildings on experience from previous years, the JAI and the ATG have planned a program for civil international solidarity with Palestinian people and farmers. The objective of this program is to mobilize as many people as possible for olive picking, especially in areas that are situated in proximity to Israeli settlements and bypass roads, in order to help Palestinian farmers harvest their olive trees which they might be unable to do without international support. You are invited to participate.

Besides picking olives, the program will feature introductory presentations about the organizing institutions, the current situation in Palestine and the effect of the Apartheid Wall, tours in the old city of Jerusalem and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, a tour of Hebron, cultural evenings and social gatherings.

Olive Picking 2009 – Proposed schedule

Day One – Saturday 17/10/2009: Arrival. Meeting representatives from the organizing institutions for an overview and discussion of the program. Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem.

Day Two – Sunday 18/10/2009: Half day picking olives at a selected field. After lunch, political tour and sightseeing in Bethlehem, including the visit of a refugee camp. Dinner, followed by screening of a documentary at Jadal / Alternative Information Center (AIC). Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem.

Day Three – Monday 19/10/2009: Half day picking olives at a selected field, followed by lunch. Meeting at The Applied Research Institute Jerusalem (ARIJ) for a presentation on the Apartheid Wall and land confiscation. Visiting an olive press. Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem.

Day Four – Tuesday 20/10/2009: Tour in the Old City of Jerusalem. Lunch, followed by a settlement tour around Jerusalem with the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD). Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem.

Day Five – Wednesday 21/10/2009: free day

Day Six – Thursday: 22/10/2009: A tour in the old city of Hebron. Visiting the Ibrahimi Mosque. Meeting with the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee (HRC) for a presentation about the situation in Hebron. Lunch. Visiting a glass factory. Free time. Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem.

Day Seven – Friday 23/10/2009: a full day of picking olives at a selected field, lunch included. Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem.

Day Eight – Saturday 24/10/2009: Half day picking olives at a selected field. Dinner followed by a presentation on the refugee questions with BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugees’ Rights. Overnight in Bethlehem.

Day Nine – Sunday 25/10/2009: Half day picking olives at a field. Lunch. Evaluation meeting with institutions’ representatives, followed by a musical evening. Overnight in Bethlehem.

Day Ten – Monday 26/10/2009: departure**.

To learn more about previous seasons please go to:
Olive Picking Program 2008
Olive Picking Program 2007
Olive Picking Program 2006 Please watch a short film about the event
Olive Picking Program 2005 Also, you can see a Short film about the Olive Tree Campaign

To learn more about other programs please go to:
Olive Planting Program 2009
Olive Planting Program 2008

More Information:

• The cost of the program including accommodation, meals, guides, local transportation and other relevant expenses is $620.
• Accommodation can be arranged at a hotel or with a local family.
• A tour guide will be present with the group at all times for facilitation purposes.
• Travel from and to the airport is not included in the cost but can be arranged for groups.

For any other information, questions, concerns, or to request a registration form, please contact:

Jawad Musleh, Alternative Tourism Group, program coordinator, via email at: jawad@atg.ps or by phone at (+970) 2 2772151

Baha Hilo, Joint Advocacy Initiative of the East Jerusalem YMCA and the YWCA of Palestine, campaigns officer, via email at: olivetree@jai-pal.org or by phone at (+970) 2 2774540.

We hope to have you with us!

** Optional conference on Advocacy organized by Occupied Palestine and Golan Heights Advocacy Initiative – OPGAI October 26 and 27; you are encouraged to participate.