Keeling the spirit alive: villagers of 'Asira al Shamaliya take matters into their own hands

Olives, cleaned and ready for pressing in the next machine.

Kanaan Al-Jamal works in an olive factory in his village of ‘Asira al Shamaliya, and is part of a 10-person council that was recently formed to empower the local population by dealing internally with soldiers and other occupation-related problems. He is a hard-working and inspiring man who clearly loves his family, his village, and the land that they live on. He is also a strong organizer who’s passion for encouraging others to not just survive but to thrive, serves as a crucial and unique part of resistance to the occupation of Palestine.

On a rainy day with no farmers harvesting, I met Kanaan outside of the Al-Aqsa olive oil factory in ‘Asira, a large village of 12,000 that features some of the oldest trees in Palestine (some up to 2,500 years old!), for a tour and a glimpse into the workings of a village that decided they don’t need the help of internationals or Israelis to harvest. It was the most inspiring day I’ve spent in my 4 weeks here so far, and I won’t forget the determination and successes that I’ve been privileged to learn about. Many of the problems faced by residents of ‘Asira are related to the “security” of the military base on the mountain overlooking the village (the 2nd most significant one in the land), and restriction of movement due to hundreds of roadblocks.

We began by following the bagged olives from ‘Asira and nearby villages (those that can access the factory without passing through checkpoints) through the sorting, cleaning and pressing. The owner watched proudly as 4 internationals completed our harvesting experience by touring the factory and asking about the modern machinery, the process, and even tasting the freshly pressed oil. I was surprised to learn that the factory does not charge farmers money to press their olives, but instead keeps a bit of the oil to sell in exchange. I also learned that the factory runs on the fuel of burning mashed-up olive pits, providing economic and ecological benefits. Kanaan explained that it is impossible to count how many pounds are processed each day because the factory runs non-stop, but that when farmers see the results of their olives they are overjoyed.


The owner of the factory examines the finished product.

Kanaan described the problems that have affected the harvest for years in the village. Soldiers often chase families off their fields, and sometimes shoot tear gas into them and detain farmers. There have been hundreds of reports of this, resulting in many abandoned agricultural areas due to fear of violence from soldiers who claim they are protecting the military base. He painted a beautiful picture in our minds of what it is like to connect with your land and to spent time there with your family, teaching your children about their history and to love the trees because they sustain you and your way of life. He explained that when soldiers are violent they not only destroy the olives, but they smash and destroy everything – the farmers’ happiness about their hard work, their memories of great times spent in the fields, and the relationships they formed with their children that day – everything is destroyed.

He told us the story of a family that was stopped by soldiers at 5:30pm on their way home from the groves. They were happy, he said, as most are after a successful and safe day of work, thinking about the things they would be able to purchase with the money from the olives. The soldiers demanded to see what was in the bags on the back of the donkeys, and at first the women laughed because it was ridiculous to them to think there was anything but olives in them. Eventually a soldier took out a knife and slashed and dumped bag after bag of olives onto the ground, stepping on and smashing them. The women’s laughter turned to screams and crying, because there was nothing they could do. Kanaan said “I don’t know what kind of security measures these are when they smash olives.” The people of ‘Asira are strong and don’t give up, and in this story, like many others, the family returned back to the same land the next day to harvest again.

These frequent problems were the reason the village decided to form a new council, in which Hebrew-speakers came together to take matters into their own hands and confront soldiers who harass farmers. The council is currently made up of men, but they work closely with the 3 different women’s councils in the village. For one of their first tasks they spent 5 long days removing over 100 roadblocks in ‘Asira, so locals could move freely and once again drive tractors to their land. Kanaan described it as an empowering experience, in which many came out to support and watch, even those who were not doing the physical work.

But the acts of removing roadblocks and responding to problems with soldiers don’t convince farmers alone to return to their fields. The council and its amazing organizers like Kanaan, have worked hard to encourage villagers to live their lives as usual despite the years of setbacks and violence. They have made the decision that the people of ‘Asira will not coordinate with the army for permission to harvest their land, because doing so legitimizes the occupation. One tactic of the village that is endorsed by the council is to literally ignore the occupation forces. Kanaan explained that when he speaks to farmers he tells them that if soldiers say to leave, don’t leave. If they shoot tear gas or bullets, don’t leave. And the most important thing is to continue going to the land even when not harvesting, so the army is used to seeing people there who will continue to come back. They are also encouraged to bring food, make fires, and sing songs from “the old days”, to feel more connected to the land and not forget the importance of it.

And it has been successful. This year people were able to harvest land they hadn’t touched or visited in over 5 years, including some directly next to the military base. Kanaan and other committee members have successfully confronted soldiers, sometimes having conversations like “Do you need permission to go from one part of Tel Aviv to another? No, you’re free to go. This is our land, we’re in ‘Asira. So we don’t need permission to go to our land.” More often than not soldiers back off and/or the families continue to return anyway.

Returning to the land is important not just economically, but socially and politically. Kanaan said that it is a “fantastic thing to see people return back to normal life despite the occupation.” He described what a great feeling it is to be in the fields and hear elder women teach traditional songs to the children, and how important it is for the children to be in the company of the family and the land. He also explained that they learn and grow politically because when in the fields, the children are prone to asking questions about who planted the trees, how to take care of them, and why they can’t get to them all the time. His own children are concerned about being able to use their see-saw on the family’s land, and even at young ages make the connections between going through checkpoints and talking with soldiers to being able to play on this toy they love. Keeping this picture alive of families enjoying and taking care of their fields is crucial to Kanaan because he believes it "goes against army rules", explaining that the army is clearly out to destroy life, therefore enjoying it is resistance.

'Asira is currently planning an agricultural exhibition that will encourage locals and guests of other villages to utilize all of their land and not abandon it. It will feature camels, traditional songs and dance, food, olive picking and oil making, and more. The council is concerned that the sanctions on the Palestinian government that have left over a third of Palestinians without salaries, have resulted in too many people staying at home and not doing anything productive. They hope that the festival will not only encourage people to work their land often (like the roadblock removal encouraged many to access it again), but will also remind everyone how important this work has been throughout history.



Kanaan is a man who never forgets. He dreams of his village and people ignoring the occupation and getting on with their lives. He will organize until every farmer uses every inch of their fields, so there will be less reliance on Israeli food and products and a stronger, more sustainable 'Asira. I admire his commitment to "the old days", and as I watch his young son Majdi excitedly filter olives through a small press, I know that he will grow up fully understanding the history of his family and his role in it. This work of Kanaan, the council, and the villagers is an inspiring example to all Palestinians struggling under occupation. While there are internationals and Israelis available to help harvest or be present when needed, solving local problems with local people is such an important and crucial step in resisting the occupation, and should be supported as often as possible.