IndyMedia Center - Calendar

Michelle Hudson wrote: The Olive Harvest has begun in Jayyous, Palestine. There will be an action on October 8th where the farmers of Jayyous will go to pick their olives in and surrounding the settlement of Zufim. The farmers have requested the presence of international and local activists, students and media due to the fact that in the past farmers have been harrassed and threatened by the settlers when they have tried to pick their olives. Zufim settlement was built in 1984 on Jayyous land, since then it has expanded by 41% and there are known plans for future expansion. We would like to invite you, as Israeli allies in non-violent resistance to the occupation, to join with the farmers and families of Jayyous, and local and international activists to stand in solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people. We would like to have a planning meeting on Oct. 7th to maximize our coordination and effectiveness in maneuvering through the settlement and successfully helping the farmers to safely pick their olives. We will be meeting at the mosque in the center of Jayyous at 6:30 am on Oct. 8th and will begin the procession to the west gate in the Apartheid Wall and then travel to the Zufim settlement, where we will remain all day harvesting olives. (Overnight accomodations in Jayyous will be available on the 7th, contact numbers listed below) Access to the land has become very limited due to the fact that the gate has become an arbitrary checkpoint where the Military has often decided that it will not "allow" Jayyous farmers to work on their own land. In the village, 6km inside the "Green Line", the Wall limits daily access of farmers to 9,000 dunams (over 2,000 acres) of land including 120 greenhouses, 15,000 olive trees, 50,000 citrus trees, 6 groundwater wells and livestock pasture. Following the completion of the Wall, 87% (480 out of 550 families) of the people in the village will be without work or income due to the land remaining isolated behind the wall. As one farmer has said, "Cages are for animals, not for people. Olive trees are important to our culture and economy. This Wall has created many problems for us and we are afraid that this year we will not be able to harvest our olives. What will we do if this happens?" This action is will be an act of non-violent resistance to the Israeli Occupation. The farmers of Jayyous request the presence of local and international activists, students and media to participate in this action. Please contact: Allam Saleem - 066 391 832 (Arabic) Mohammed Mustafa - 055 760 350 (Hebrew) Michelle Hudson - 065 203 543 (English) Laura Ostrow - 058-628-014 (English)