Interview with Daoud Nassar, Tent of Nations, Bethlehem, Palestine

Daoud Nassar is the owner of 100 acres of land nine kilometers southwest of Bethlehem. This land has been in the Nassar family since 1916 - family members used to the live in caves there - and it has been cultivated for olives, grapes and wheat. Nevertheless, in 1991 the Israeli military declared the land to be Israeli state property. The Nassar family was able to challenge Israel in the courts as fortunately they were in possession of all the original land ownership papers dating back to the Ottoman period. In 2001, although the legal case remained unresolved, the local council of Israeli settlements decided to build a road on the eastern side of the Nassar land. Then in 2002 the same council took the decision to build another road on the Nassar property, this time along the western side. It took all the efforts of the Nassars in the Israeli courts to stop both road projects; however the land ownership case is still being contested in the high court, where it has been repeatedly postponed.

 

Excerpts of the interview with Daoud Nassar:

“The olive trees are very important to us because they can live for many years, even generations. Their roots go deep into the earth. The olive tree is connected to our struggle for peace, justice and freedom because we, in the same way as the olive tree, have our roots here. So the Palestinians have a deep connection both to the land and to the olive trees.”

“Palestinians are living under Occupation and the Israelis are trying to confiscate as much land as possible through settlements, by-pass roads and in recent years the building of the Wall. The Wall is literally cutting the Palestinians from their fields. Many Palestinians can no longer go to pick the olives at harvest time because they cannot get freely to their fields. The Israelis make access for the olive farmers as difficult as possible by putting up road blocks etc., hoping Palestinians will become discouraged and abandon the land.”

“The big problem is that there are mostly Israeli products on the Palestinian market. I can say that this is also the fault of the Palestinians themselves. Of course the roadblocks are playing a role, but on the other hand the Palestinians don’t have a strong sense of, “Why not buy Palestinian products”. A friend of mine was visiting us from Italy. When he was in Ramallah he wanted to buy some olive oil. As you know we produce olive oil in this country, but he couldn’t find any olive oil from Palestine in the shops. Well, he found olive oil from Greece, from Spain but no Palestinian oil. Just imagine – we are selling imported products yet our own products have no market. [...] In my opinion in order to break this circle - to encourage farmers and to help them to stay on their land – we need to ensure that they have a guaranteed outlet for their harvest. This means organizing ourselves in such a way that we can say to the farmers, “OK, how many olives do you have? How much oil do you have? We will buy it from you, no problem. Just keep going, keep planting trees and don’t worry about the market. We will take care of the market for your products.” In many countries there is something like a farmers’ market. Why can’t we develop such a thing here?”

“The idea with the Tent of Nations is to offer this land with its very simple infrastructure as a place for encounters and meetings. We want people to come together here to build bridges. That’s the motto of the project: ‘Tent of Nations – People Building Bridges.’ We don’t want people to build walls. We want to bring people together on a simple plot of land in nature and to give them the opportunity to express their frustration in a constructive way.”

Full interview transcript:

Vicky Rossi: Can you explain to me the kind of relationship Palestinians have with the land and with the olive trees?

Daoud Nassar: The issue of land is very important for Palestinians because land is a part of our identity. I can say I am Arab, but I am Palestinian because I am connected to Palestine. I am connected to my land. Sometimes people ask the question why Palestinians can’t just be like other nationalities and simply go somewhere else to establish their existence, but being in another country is totally different to being in one’s homeland.

The olive trees are very important to us because they can live for many years, even generations. Their roots go deep into the earth. The olive tree is connected to our struggle for peace, justice and freedom because we, in the same way as the olive tree, have our roots here. So the Palestinians have a deep connection both to the land and to the olive trees.

Sometimes you can see old people planting olive trees although the olive trees need many years before they produce the first fruits. We have a Palestinian saying that our fathers planted the olive trees so that we could get the fruit and now we have to plant so our children will get the fruit. This saying is also important for us when we consider the future. If we invest in our children and young people, they will bear good fruits that will help to build civil society in the future.

Vicky Rossi: When does the olive harvest take place each year and what does the work involve?

Daoud Nassar: The olive harvest starts around the middle of October and lasts until around 20^th November. It’s usually something of a family celebration because the whole family participates. I remember when I was young, we children used to take the time off school so that we could go with the family to the fields to harvest the olives. I say “harvest” but it is actually “picking” the olives. The men would climb up into the trees and the women and children would remain underneath collecting the olives as they dropped to the ground. After the olive harvest the families used to have a celebration. This is a kind of Canaanite tradition. Back in history at the time of the Canaanites, after the harvest the people used to hold celebrations and a farmers’ market, where products could be exchanged between farmers. What is nowadays celebrated in October/November time as Thanksgiving actually came out of this Canaanite tradition.

Vicky Rossi: What kind of difficulties do Palestinian olive farmers face as a result of the Israeli Occupation?

Daoud Nassar: Most of the problems are linked to the land. Palestinians are living under Occupation and the Israelis are trying to confiscate as much land as possible through settlements, by-pass roads and in recent years the building of the Wall. The Wall is literally cutting the Palestinians from their fields. Many Palestinians can no longer go to pick the olives at harvest time because they cannot get freely to their fields. The Israelis make access for the olive farmers as difficult as possible by putting up road blocks etc., hoping Palestinians will become discouraged and abandon the land.

For me it is not only a question of Palestinians being cut off from reaching their land during the olive harvest because we don’t just need to get to the land at that time of year. We need to be connected to our land the whole year through. I feel it is important to connect more Palestinians with the land again as nowadays many Palestinians are living in the cities, losing their connection with the land. When these city dwelling Palestinians hear that farmers are being cut from their land, they may just accept it as they don’t feel the same connection. It is important for us to invest in our young people by showing them how important land is for their future and for a future Palestinian state. Without land, the Palestinian people cannot establish a state. This is why aside from the olive harvest or the grape harvest, it is important to connect people with their land at all times.

Vicky Rossi: Do you see it as a vicious circle whereby if Palestinians find it difficult to reach their land because of the limitations imposed on them by the Israeli Occupation, they will decide to move into the cities, which will in turn make it easier for the Israelis to confiscate more land?

Daoud Nassar: Yes, everything is connected together. According to current Israeli law which dates back to the Ottoman period, if you leave your land uncultivated for more than 5 years, it automatically becomes Israeli state property. That’s the problem – if you don’t maintain your presence on the land day and night, summer and winter, you will over time end up losing your own property.

Many farmers feel that they are alone in their struggle. Access to the land is one issue. A second issue is that the farmers feel they are investing a lot of effort and money but when the harvest is done they can’t get their products onto the market. The problem here is both the physical difficulties created by roadblocks etc. and the fact that there is no existing market right now for their goods. These two issues will force many Palestinian farmers to give up.

Vicky Rossi: Why is there no market for their produce when, for example, they cultivate olives which are eaten every day in Palestine?

Daoud Nassar: The big problem is that there are mostly Israeli products on the Palestinian market. I can say that this is also the fault of the Palestinians themselves. Of course the roadblocks are playing a role, but on the other hand the Palestinians don’t have a strong sense of, “Why not buy Palestinian products”. A friend of mine was visiting us from Italy. When he was in Ramallah he wanted to buy some olive oil. As you know we produce olive oil in this country, but he couldn’t find any olive oil from Palestine in the shops. Well, he found olive oil from Greece, from Spain but no Palestinian oil. Just imagine – we are selling imported products yet our own products have no market.

With no market, Palestinian farmers are forced to say, “I can’t afford it. I have a lot of grapes but I have no market.” The farmers make jam and other products with the grapes, but these are again not being marketed. In my opinion in order to break this circle - to encourage farmers and to help them to stay on their land – we need to ensure that they have a guaranteed outlet for their harvest. This means organizing ourselves in such a way that we can say to the farmers, “OK, how many olives do you have? How much oil do you have? We will buy it from you, no problem. Just keep going, keep planting trees and don’t worry about the market. We will take care of the market for your products.” In many countries there is something like a farmers’ market. Why can’t we develop such a thing here? In my opinion if you want to grow, it has to be from the bottom up not from the top down.

Vicky Rossi: I gather then that you are trying to set up such a farmers’ market or, at least, a scheme whereby one farmer cultivates one kind of crop and sells to another farmer, who is cultivating a different crop, who then sells his crop to another farmer, and so on.

Daoud Nassar: Yes. That’s the only way to help more farmers to stay put on the land. Encouragement through words is good, but you also have to show them through practical steps that it is possible. It is very important for us as Palestinians to be able to learn by doing. We hear a lot of theories about how to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but the reality is totally different. The reality cannot be worked out just through theoretical seminars or discussions. The reality can only be worked out by experiencing life amongst the people and seeing what kinds of things they need in practice. For example, the Palestinians don’t need financial support from outside the country. It is a pity that we are now so reliant on foreign aid. What Palestinians need is encouragement and work possibilities. If I can create employment possibilities for 2 or 3 people, I am on the right path because these people can then independently support their families.

I disagree with the Palestinians who say, “We can’t do anything. It’s too difficult with the restrictions imposed by the Occupation and the Wall.” This attitude just keeps people in the same vicious circle. Discouragement like this is totally disempowering. We cannot wait until the political situation has been resolved to act. Maybe the Occupation will last another 10 years, who knows. What we need to consider is what we can do in the meantime to ensure that we are creative and able to stand on our own two feet. Even small steps are a big encouragement for us.

Vicky Rossi: A few weeks ago I helped you and your colleagues to pick olives. Apart from the difficulties in accessing the land that we spoke about earlier, have you yourself experienced any other difficulties associated with the Israeli Occupation during this year’s olive harvest?

Daoud Nassar: Our land is located between three Israeli settlements and our biggest threat is the attempt by the Israelis to confiscate our land for the expansion of these settlements. During the olive harvest itself we didn’t experience any clashes between settlers and Palestinians, although many Palestinians face this kind of violence in Hebron, Nablus and other areas in the West Bank.

Vicky Rossi: What makes the settlers in Hebron and Nablus different to the ones who are living here? Why have Palestinian olive farmers been attacked by Israeli settlers in those areas, whereas here there doesn’t seem to have been that kind of problem?

Daoud Nassar: In Hebron and Nablus there are Israeli settlers who are very aggressive all the time, not just during the olive harvest. They are kind of fundamentalist. They are different to the settlers, who are living in other parts of the West Bank because of economic reasons i.e. because it is cheaper, it is close to Jerusalem, they get a loan to buy a house and it’s much nicer to live in nature than to be renting an apartment in a crowded city like Jerusalem. These kinds of settlers don’t want any confrontation with the Palestinians. Of course this doesn’t detract from the fact that they are living in illegal settlements built on lands confiscated from Palestinian people, but they don’t want any clashes.

Vicky Rossi: During the olive harvest in particular, but also at other times of the year, there are “international” individuals and organizations that come to Palestine in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Why is their support important? What difference does it make?

Daoud Nassar: Palestinians are friendly people and we like to welcome guests to our country. We are very open in this way. When internationals come to visit us it is a big encouragement because we feel that people are interested in our situation. It’s not just about picking olives or planting trees; it’s more about people being here with us. Sometimes we feel, as Palestinians, that we are alone. I would say that our case is not being presented well outside our country. Many people have a bad image of Palestinians because of the media.

The best way to overcome this is to able to welcome people here in Palestine so that they can see the reality of how Palestinians are living: what kinds of daily problems they have; why when they wake up in the morning and turn on the tap there is no water because it has been cut [by the Israelis]; how much more water is being diverted to the settlements; how when you go to the field the road has been blocked to make access more difficult. By experiencing these kinds of things people learn first hand about the daily situation for Palestinians. This is much better than to sit in an office and see a PowerPoint presentation on the difficulties faced by the Palestinian people.

We want to encourage more internationals to come and live here with us. This is the only way to build bridges between us and other countries. We can learn about them and vice versa they can learn about us. Every year we welcome internationals to participate with the grapes, almonds, figs and olive harvest.

Vicky Rossi: On your website it states the difficulties faced by your family with regards the attempts by the Israeli government to confiscate your land. Was that one of the main reasons why you established the Tent of Nations project i.e. in an attempt to raise the profile of the land by getting more people on it?

Daoud Nassar: Yes, that was one reason. My family has owned this land since 1916. At that time, the members of my family used to live in the caves here - even my Uncle Nayef stayed in the same cave that his father did until he passed away in May 1987. My whole family has been connected to this land. For Palestinians the land is like our mother. A mother takes care of you from the time you are a baby. The same is true of the land. That’s why when we grow up we have to give something back to the land. This is again the idea of the relationship Palestinians have with the land.

Since 1991, we have faced many difficulties fighting the Israelis in the courts to prevent the confiscation of our land. We hope that our struggle will ensure that our land will not be taken from us. Our successful struggle can give us hope. It can also give hope to our neighbors.

The Tent of Nations is also a fulfillment of my father Bishara Nassar’s dream. He was a Palestinian Christian who lived all his life on the land. Bishara devoted his life to protecting his land and he was the first to allocate his family’s land for network projects. Bishara died in 1976; however his family carried on with the work to uphold his vision. The Nassar family dedicated a portion of land for the Tent of Nations.

Vicky Rossi: Are your neighbours facing the same threat of the confiscation of their land?

Daoud Nassar: Yes. We are now fighting in the legal courts to prevent the confiscation of a total of 300 acres of land, including our own land.We have experienced a great deal of frustration due to the amount of time, money and effort we have had to put in going to the courts to fight this case, but this frustration is also an energy. We want this frustration to come out in a positive way, believing that one day the sun of justice will rise again, but sometimes this frustration for us as Palestinians comes out in a negative way.

Vicky Rossi: I would say this is the case for all people, not just for Palestinians.

Daoud Nassar: Well, yes, but for us it is very important to channel our frustration in a positive way because this frustration is a source of power. Why not use this power in a constructive way not a destructive way? That’s why we had the idea for the Tent of Nations. We said to ourselves, “Why don’t we create new life out of this sad story of problems, restrictions and struggle?” The idea with the Tent of Nations is to offer this land with its very simple infrastructure as a place for encounters and meetings. We want people to come together here to build bridges. That’s the motto of the project: ‘Tent of Nations – People Building Bridges.’ We don’t want people to build walls. We want to bring people together on a simple plot of land in nature and to give them the opportunity to express their frustration in a constructive way.

Vicky Rossi: What kind of activities do you run within the Tent of Nations project?

Daoud Nassar: We carry out different activities and programs both for locals and for internationals such as the reconciliation program that brings youth of various cultures together in a camp setting to build bridges of understanding and the tree planting program, which takes place every year from January to March. The idea with the tree planting program is to invite internationals, locals and even sometimes Jewish Israelis from peace activist organizations to come and plant trees. The idea behind planting an olive tree is not just to put the tree in the earth and that’s it. What is important is that after the planting, people sit together in a circle and learn about each other’s experiences, hear each other’s opinions. This is very important because we want to connect the whole situation with faces. We don’t want people to have stereotypical ideas about the Europeans, the Israelis or the Palestinians. By coming face to face people are able to formulate their own opinions based on their personal experiences.

Our international youth exchange program sends local youth to different counties in order to attend youth camps and activities. The program aims to encourage our young people to share their experiences in other cultures and to interact with other young people.

Our work and study camp program allows groups and individuals to help improve and maintain the facilities on the land, thereby also supporting the existence of the land. In addition to practical work on the land, volunteers can experience Palestinian culture by taking day trips to neighboring areas. Accommodation is on our campsite.

In the summer time, the Tent of Nations organizes camps for young people. Sometimes we play football with the youngsters. We have cleared a space where we have made a football pitch. We also invite adults for lectures and solidarity groups. We want to bring more locals to the land too. It is very difficult now to get the people from the Bethlehem area to come out to the countryside. Because of the travel restriction imposed by the Occupation, many people prefer to stay at home, but this is something we feel it is important to change.

Our vocational training program aims to provide specialized professional training in different fields for local youth and community members. For example, we have begun a computer class for the local women in the village nearby. This project aims to help empower the women and to encourage them to stay in their village in the countryside.

Basically, we welcome anybody to use this land in a constructive way because our hope is to bring life to this place. We can help organize programs on the land for any group that has a positive goal.

Vicky Rossi: What ideas have you had to encourage the residents in the Bethlehem area to come out to visit the land?

Daoud Nassar: During the summer camp this year we had a children’s festival to which we invited children from the Bethlehem area – Christians and Muslims – including children from the refugee camps. We organized simple activities like painting on stones. We said, “Why not build bridges with stones?” so 50 stones painted by Palestinian children were taken to England as a gift to the school children there. During the children’s festival, we also organized kite flying activities and the children performed the play Romeo and Juliet in the Palestinian context. On the last day of the camp, we invited the children’s families to the land. We asked the children to present to the families the things that they had learnt during their stay here. After that we received very good feedback from the families, who told us that we are doing a wonderful job.

Vicky Rossi: Can you give me a concrete example of how the children’s festival had a positive impact on the participants?

Daoud Nassar: One time I asked the children about their wishes for the future and one 10 year old girl answered that she wanted to die. We were shocked by such a response from a child. She told us that her father had been killed and that she felt she had not had the chance to live with him, so she thought that if she died she might go to heaven and meet him there. The first thing we did was to let her talk. Many Palestinian children keep everything inside as they are not encouraged to express their feelings. In school, the children still fear their teachers, for example, which I think is a bad thing as it stifles their creativity.

The other thing that happened with that young girl is that through our activities she became friends with the foreigners, who were here at the time. We had 15 internationals helping us during the camp from England, Canada, U.S., Switzerland and Germany. The girl was allowed to use somebody’s camera and she started to take pictures of people, trees, events, etc. When she looked at the photos she had taken she was overjoyed because she had achieved something. This gave her strength. She realized her own creativity and her own possibilities. This is the feeling we always want to give to the children.

Our motivation is not to teach people; we want rather to encourage people to live together and to express themselves. What we try to do is to send the children off in a positive direction by encouraging them to believe that there is always a way forwards. As Palestinians it is important that we remain positive, that we feel empowered to do something for the future. Even the smallest act or the slightest word said to somebody might be enough to create a change for the better.

*This transcript represents an accurate but non-verbatim representation of the original interview.

For further information, please contact:

Daoud Nassar
Tent of Nations
Atan Street 17 Bethlehem
Palestine B.O.Box 28
Tel: +972 (2) 274 3071
Fax: +972 (2) 276 7446
E-mail: tnations@p-ol.com
Website: www.tentofnations.org

Links

“Palestinian farmers determined to continue olive harvest despite Israeli settler attacks” by Najib Farag, Palestine News Network, 8 November 2006:

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=950&Itemid=1

“The olive harvest in the West Bank and Gaza Report”, United Nations, 4 November 2006:

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article5944.shtml

“Apartheid Clampdown on Palestinian Farmers As Olive Harvest Begins”, Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, 10 October 2006:

http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/1323.shtml

“United Nations delegation witnesses Israeli devastation of Palestinian olive harvest”, Palestine News Network, 31 October 2006:

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=893&Itemid=1