The Israeli targeting of the first qualified Lebanese Army retiree while he was inspecting his home and the olive grove in the town of Yater, on Sunday, turned the harvest season in southern Lebanon into a new address of the dangers facing farmers when reaching their lands. The incident coincides with the continued deprivation of the people of border villages of their seasons for about three years, and with a complaint before the French judiciary accusing the Israeli army of uprooting about 600 long-lived olive trees in Zawtar Sharqiya, at a time when local officials warn of economic and social repercussions that go beyond the loss of crops.
The Lebanese Army announced, on Sunday, the killing of the first qualified, retired person, Ali Abdel Hassan Suwaidan, who was in his seventies, after he was directly targeted by an Israeli tank while inspecting his property in the town of Yater in the Bint Jbeil district, noting that a military unit accompanied the removal of his body after losing contact with him. The Yater municipality explained that he was inspecting his house and the olive grove on the outskirts of the town when it was bombed from the Sarbin area, warning the people not to reach the unsafe outskirts.
The incident brings to the fore the difficulties facing access to the fields during a season in which families are accustomed to heading to their vineyards to collect the crop, after moving to parts of agricultural lands has become fraught with continuing security risks.
In Paris, a 37-year-old French businessman of Lebanese origin filed a complaint against unknown persons on September 22, accusing the Israeli army of uprooting about 600 olive trees from his family’s land in Zawtar Sharqia. According to what his lawyers announced and reported by Agence France-Presse, some of the trees are about 500 years old, and the family has been cultivating the land for 250 years.
The complaint addresses accusations of theft, destruction, and damage to property as possible war crimes, while the complainant is suspected of transporting trees to Israel without judicial proof of this. He says that his family's home was destroyed by an Israeli raid in April, before the trees were uprooted after Israeli forces took control of the area.
The mayor of Rmeish Hanna Al-Amiel told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Since the beginning of the war, about three years ago, we have been deprived of access to a large part of the olive fields. Because most of them are located along the border, where there are no security conditions that allow people to access them and harvest their crops. Even today, we do not know whether we will be able to harvest olives this year, especially since we have not started the season yet, and security risks still prevent access to the lands.”
He explains that “about three-quarters of Rmeish’s lands are located along the border, and more than 50 percent of the olive fields have been unable to be harvested by their owners over the past three years,” pointing out that “the continuation of this reality deprives families of a basic source of livelihood, at a time when the town is suffering from extremely difficult economic conditions as a result of the war and the cessation of many businesses.”
He adds that “agricultural losses are not limited to olives, but also include tobacco cultivation, which constitutes the primary agricultural activity in Rmeish, followed by olive cultivation,” explaining that “tobacco production this year amounted to about 60 percent of what it was before the war; “This means losing a large portion of the income that families relied on.”
The client stressed that “the relationship of the people of the South with the olive tree goes beyond its material value and economic return, as it is part of our history and our connection to our land. Our ancestors planted it, and our parents continued to care for it. We are continuing this journey, and we want to pass it on to our children and grandchildren so that they continue to care for it. “It is a blessed tree and a symbol of peace, in addition to being a source of livelihood that many families await, especially in these difficult circumstances.”
The agent warns of the possible economic repercussions as the end of UNIFIL’s mission approaches, saying: “We are living in a very bad economic situation, and what worries us most is the future. Today we are unable to invest in our agricultural lands, and with the end of the UNIFIL mission, we fear that the economic situation will deteriorate further and that this will reflect negatively on the steadfastness of the people, leading to economic displacement in which residents are forced to leave their towns in search of sources of livelihood.”
The mayor of Zawtar Sharqia, Muhammad Ismail, confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that “the olive trees in the town are not just trees or a source of livelihood, but rather heritage, history, and memories of generations. They embrace the hills and fields, shade the alleys of Zawtar, and spread cool breezes that ease the summer heat,” noting that they “constitute a source of livelihood for the people, and a large portion of the town’s residents derive firewood from them.”
He says, “The olive harvest season is an annual occasion in which entire families, old and young, gather, not only to collect the crop, but also to renew the connection to the land and the ancestors who planted and cared for these trees, and to keep alive the memory passed down between generations.”
He adds: “Today, the occupier comes to take our spirit away, and to cut off our connection to history, ancestors, and life. He wants to erase the trace of life from our souls and minds, and to erase its scent from our memories,” he said, adding that “what is happening is not limited to uprooting trees, but rather it is uprooting hearts from chests, and an attempt to uproot the people’s memory and their connection to their land,” stressing: “We will not forget, we will not surrender. We will return and restore life to our village, and instead of a tree, we will plant ten trees.”
Deputy Mayor of Yater Ibrahim Suwaidan told Asharq Al-Awsat, “The olive groves have become part of the identity of the south, and the olive tree is not just a tree for the southerner, but rather it is part of his identity and belonging to his land,” adding that “the greatest evidence of this attachment is the return of the southerners to their villages and homes, despite the difficult security conditions, and their insistence on staying there and clinging to their land.”
He believes that “targeting olive trees and uprooting them has implications that go beyond direct agricultural damage; Revenge against the olive tree is, in essence, targeting what it represents in terms of symbolism, identity, and belonging.”
Suwaidan points out that “the town of Yater was subjected, during the recent aggression, to major destruction that affected public institutions and facilities, including the municipal building, the school, social facilities, and event halls, in addition to the solar energy systems and the electricity network, which were subjected to extensive damage,” adding that “the targeting of agricultural lands, public facilities, and homes falls within one context, based on striking the foundations of the population’s survival in their villages, and attempting to harm everything that connects the southerner to his land and identity.”
He stresses that “the people of the south have proven, despite the attacks, destruction, and difficult security conditions, that they are committed to their land and villages, and that they have sufficient steadfastness and attachment to their land and identity to confront these conditions and continue.”
