The time had finally come: the residents of Turmusayya, a lush
Palestinian village nestled in a valley between Ramallah and Nablus in
the central occupied West Bank, had gotten permission from Israeli
authorities to go harvest their olive trees.

This chance only came twice a year: two days in the spring to cultivate
their land, and two days in the fall to harvest the olives.

Filled with excitement and a sense of urgency, the villagers made their
way to their farmlands, which are surrounded by an Israeli settlement
and outpost. When they arrived, they were devastated to find dozens of
trees chopped down, uprooted, and rotting.

The 40 olive trees belonged to 78-year-old Palestinian Mahmoud al-Araj,
who had been tending to the trees since he was a boy.

“Some of these trees are 40, 50, 60, and 70 years old,” al-Araj told
Mondoweiss, as he sat under the shade of a large olive tree that had
been slashed at its trunk.

“I have been cultivating these trees, this land, since I was a boy. We
helped our families and tired ourselves on this land so we could provide
for our children and the future generations,” he said.