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Palestine: For Land and Life offers a glimpse of everyday life for the people in Palestine and the monumental issues that stand in the way of peace and justice in the region. The series began as a project examining the impact of the occupation on agricultural livelihoods, with a special focus on land, water, and seeds. But the research quickly became about everyday life under occupation, the use of laws and military orders which subjugate Palestinians, and the struggle to sustain livelihoods in this context. Palestine: For Land and Life shares stories of marginalization and struggle, but it also documents resistance, perseverance and innovation and shows how hope and resilience, just like homes, can be rebuilt and revived — even after 70 years of occupation and displacement.
Some people feel that by exposing our children to the protests, they grow up before their age. But there is no safe place for our children. My house has been raided over 150 times since the protests started. If my children only know fear, how will they live and survive?
Bassem Tamimi
In Arabic, the word for plant and seed — Zareea' — is the same word used for children. Like many other women around the world, I believe that through our land and heirloom seeds, we can restore our communities as we regenerate our spirit, our language, and culture. This is the essence of the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library.
Vivien Sansour
In the land of Canaan, with the occupation, the determination and persistence to be on the land and continue to farm is the main stay of our resistance.
Nasser Abufarha, founder of Canaan Palestine
I have lost nearly 65 percent of my land to the wall. I need a permit from the Israeli authorities to cross the barrier to cultivate my own land.
Mohammed Yasin, Palestinian farmer in Anin and member of the Palestinian Fair Trade Association
Acknowledgements
This work is based on independent research and authored by the Oakland Institute team led by Anuradha Mittal. The views and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the Oakland Institute alone and do not reflect opinions of the individuals and organizations that have sponsored and supported the work.
Groups and Individuals
We met with the following groups and individuals during our field research:
- Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency & Refugee Rights
http://www.badil.org/en - Shatil of the New Israel Fund
http://english.shatil.org.il - Lajee Center at the Aida Refugee Camp
http://www.lajee.org - Canaan Palestine & Canaan Center for Organic Research & Extension — CORE
http://www.canaanpalestine.com - Palestinian Fair Trade Association
http://palestinefairtrade.org - El Beir Arts and Seeds Center & Traveling Kitchen
Crowdsourcing campaign page - Hebron Rehabilitation Committee
http://www.hebronrc.ps/index.php/en - Youth Against Settlements
https://hyas.ps - Bassem Tamimi of Nabi Saleh
Guardian article - The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD)
https://icahd.org - Arabiya Shawamreh & Salim Shawamreh of Beit Arabiya House of Peace
Print design by Amymade Graphic Design.
Top image: "Nabi Saleh Protest". Credit: Fred Jennings. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0, image cropped and resized from original.