Page 28 - Issue 8

Olives are pressed as soon as possible after picking because piles of olives produce heat causing
fermentation and exposure to air resulting in oxidisation, both of which impair quality. In many
regions, olives are beaten from the trees with long poles and the fruit is caught in large nets.
Many farmers now harvest using tractors with claws, which grasp the trunk of the tree and
then vibrate to shake dislodge the fruit. However, the best method of harvesting is by hand.
Not only does the action of picking each fruit and carefully placing it in a basket avoid damage
(as bruised fruit produces poor quality oil), but the people of Qaffin continue to harvest in the
same way they have done for generations, regardless of the fact that they would not be able to
afford any modern aides.
From one tree to the next, climbing up the boughs, reaching
through the branches, every olive is picked, either into a
bucket or falling onto a piece of plastic sheeting on the
ground. Every olive is then gathered up, and then separated
into type – either for eating or for producing oil. They are
then collected into sacks – each one worth around 300₪,
depending on the current market price.

I was chatting to the father of the family, Abed, who pointed out his house. It can't have been
more than a couple of kilometres away. "What time did you leave this morning?" I asked. "5am".
"How long did it take you to get here?" "Just under an hour and a half. They checked each
farmer, one-by-one as we passed through the checkpoint". Despite the relations between
Qaffin and Mezer, every Palestinian crossing through the barrier is a potential terrorist, and as
far as the border police are concerned, no one can be trusted!

Abed stressed the hard economic situation his family are
coping with, but he was quick to stress that they are
collecting their crop. The families that have given up on trying
to get to their land and harvesting their trees are in an even
harsher situation.
I heard the Friday Sabbath call to prayer from a mosque in
Qaffin. "You are Muslim, right?" "Of course" "So why do you
not take a break to pray?" I asked. "Because we need there to
be 20 people in order to pray on Fridays, and it takes too much effort and time to return to the
village mosque from here, and we need to use all the time that we have to collect the harvest. I
have to miss out today".

As we were chatting, Abed's son appeared. He lives with his
family in Baqa-Al-Gharbiyya. It used to be a short drive for
them to meet, but due to the circumstances, this is one of
the infrequent opportunities for them to meet, and for Abed
to see his grandchildren.

As Shabbat approached, we packed up for the day, leaving
the family to continue. We did not meet any settler violence
– this is not a major issue for the residents of Qaffin – but
we contributed to the essential annual olive harvest for one
family. How much of a difference we could make to the livelihood of the community of
Qaffin if we joined every family in the collection of their crop!