By Taylor Pate, Slow Food USA board member

On Dec. 14, 2023, Slow Food USA hosted a call with Slow Food leaders in the West Bank. The goal of this call was to open a dialogue about the wider context of the genocide in Gaza and the impacts that this has had on Palestinians living in the West Bank. We were joined by farmers, journalists and an agroeconomist living in the West Bank. They shared stories of their experiences living in the West Bank prior to and since October 2023.

Central to the livelihoods for many in the West Bank is agriculture and in particular, olive farming. Our panelists shared that due to increased restrictions on farmers living in the West Bank, many have not been able to harvest their olives. At the end of November, the United Nations estimated that 800,000 dunums of land were not harvested due to Israeli settler violence and access restrictions. They shared that during this time, farmers have faced harassment, destruction of land and property, restricted access to land, and murder.

Guest Fareed T. shared, “My village of around 1,500 people is surrounded by six settlements. We are not allowed to expand the land outside of the village. The Israeli settlements filled with around 60,000 people are becoming larger cities and expanding into our land.”

Life in the West Bank means challenges to land and water rights, including unequal distribution of resources and land confiscation. People face restrictions on their movement due to checkpoints and roadblocks, which impedes the transportation of agricultural goods, leading to delays and economic losses for farmers. This also impacts their ability to export Palestinian products. 

A participant who wishes to remain anonymous reported that her mother is from Gaza and her grandparents’ home has been destroyed. Because she is from Jerusalem, she does not have a passport, and it is hard to buy land or own homes there. Because of Israeli control of the Palestinian population registry, they are able to decide how people move in and out of the country. Systemic barriers have been put in place to separate Palestinians from Jerusalem, a vitally important religious center for Muslims.

Village council leader Saad D. explained, “Those that have land behind the apartheid separation wall have no permission to harvest their olives. These farmers wait an entire year to harvest because they depend on processing them for olive oil for their livelihoods.” Saad typically provides a lot of training to farmers in various villages and cities, but since the beginning of the war on Gaza, he hasn’t been able to reach any of these farms to train on agroecology because of new restrictions by the Israeli military. 

Our panelists asked Slow Food attendees to amplify their voices, and for Americans in particular to put pressure on the US government to call for a ceasefire and peace. They also shared their frustrations with how hard it is to explain or defend their right to existence. In particular, they expressed the sentiment that in the last few months there has had to be so much justification to the international community, instead of the legitimacy to feel what they need to feel and fight to end an occupation that controls their life. 

This conversation highlighted the pain and resilience of Slow Food allies in the West Bank. We hope that you will take the time to deepen your own understanding, share your learnings, and take action for a ceasefire and peace in Palestine.