Burin - olive harvest

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Place:

Burin (Yitzhar)

Observers:

Rachel A. (reporting), Riki S-T., Gili; Translator:Judith Green

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Nov-1-2021

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Afternoon

We arranged with Doha to help her with the olive harvesting today. Despite the difficulties of the weather and the possibility that we would not be allowed to work, we arrived in Burin. Doha, is the owner of the well-tended and fertile grove. An energetic farmer in her soul, she was happy to host us also today. She prepared a breakfast and a lunch for us and we all enjoyed it and went out to gather the olives in the afternoon, when the wind was less strong and the weather was more appropriate.

We worked with her and her son, who brought an automated olive collector with a long stick attached which brings down the olives from the top of the tree with a circular motion. Everything went well. The grove is near the Nablus-Huwwara road. On the east, one sees the areas which Israel has recently appropriated for the highway which bypasses Huwwara and turns all the land into a flat area by tearing down hills, and changes the whole character of the area brutally. On the southwest side, in the direction of Itzhar, one sees the infrastructure work digging through the mountain to create new land for building for Itzhar No. 4. Huwwara, which we haven't visited for a long time, is developing. The road is full of new shops and there is a lot of movement. It is interesting to return to places where we have been in the past and to see a bit of change.

It is a great joy to harvest the olives with Doha. Come next Wednesday; the harvest is almost finished!

Automatic olive picker

Photo:

Rachel Afek

Doha's son brought automatic picker with a long stick that removes the olives from the top in a circular motion

מסקנו איתה ועם בנה שהביא מוסק אוטומטי בעל מקל ארוך שמוריד את הזיתים מהצמרת בתנועה סיבובית.

הכל עבר בשלום. השדה נמצא קרוב לכביש שכם-חווארה. מצד מזרח רואים את השטחים שישראל מקצה עכשיו לכביש עוקף חווארה הופכת אדמות משטיחה שטח מיישרת גבעות, משנה את פני השטח בבוטות. מצד דרום מערב לכיוון יצהר רואים עבודות עפר חוצבות בהר מגרשים לבניה חדשה. יצהר ד'.
חווארה, שכבר מזמן לא בקרנו בה מתפתחת. הרחוב מתמלא חנויות חדשות והרבה פעילות. מעניין לחזור למקומות שהיינו ולראות קצת שינוי.

Three olive pickers

Photo:

Rachel Afek

כיף גדול למסוק עם דוחא. תבואו ברביעי הבא. כמעט מסיימים את המסיק.

Location Description

Burin (Yitzhar)

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Burin

This is a Palestinian village in the Nablus governorate, a little south of Nablus, on the main road passing through the West Bank. The settlements: Yitzhar and Har Bracha, settled in locations that surrounded the village, placed fences so it is cut off the main road.

There are around 4000 inhabitants. Most of them are engaged in agriculture and pasture, although many graduates of the two secondary schools continue to study at the university. Academic positions are hardly available, they find work as builderd, or leave for the Gulf countries.

The village lands were appropriated several times for the establishment of Israeli settlements and military bases, and as a result, Burin's land and water resources dwindled. lSince 1982, more than 2,000 dunams of village land have been declared "state land" and then transferred to Har Bracha settlement.

Over the past few years and more so since 2017, the villagers have been terrorized by the residents of Yitzhar and Har Bracha, the Givat Ronen outpost and others.
Despite the close proximity of soldiers to an IDF base close to one of the village's schools, residents are suffering from numerous stone-throwing events, vehicle and fire arson, also reported in the press.

In 2023, the prevention of the olive harvest in the village plot was more violent than ever. Soldiers and settlers walked with drawn weapons between the houses of the village and demanded that people stop harvesting in the village itself and in the private plots outside the village. The settlers from Yitzhar and Giv'at Roned raided the olive groves and stole crops. 300 olive trees belonging to the residents of Burin, near Yitzhar, were uprooted. The loss of livelihood from the olives causes long-term economic damage to the farmers' families, bringing them to the point of starvation.

(updated for November 2023)