The Israeli army occupied dozens of towns in the south of the country after launching attacks against Lebanon on March 2.
Farmers whose agricultural lands and olive groves are occupied cannot harvest because they cannot enter these areas; They also have difficulty in maintaining the trees and cultivating and planting the land.
This situation seriously affects producers in the Kefer Shuba town in the southeast of the country. There are approximately 85 thousand olive trees in this town alone. Olive growing is one of the main sources of income for many residents of the town. Farmers are waiting for permission to enter the olive groves so they can harvest.
Producers in Kefer Shuba wanted to start the harvest en masse on October 15 this year. However, farmers who went to the olive groves without permission had to leave the region without collecting their products due to threats from Israeli soldiers.
"It is our legitimate right to access our land and property"
Speaking to AA correspondent, Kefer Shuba Mayor Kasım al-Qadiri stated that farmers need to get permission from Israel through the ceasefire monitoring mechanism in order to enter the olive groves.
Kadiri said, "We are going to our own land. We do not get a visa to go to other regions, so we are asked for our ID number, full name and the information of everyone who will go to collect olives, regardless of whether they are small or large. People have to give so much information to collect their own olives." He reacted to the situation by saying.
Expressing that they have run out of patience, Kadiri said, "It is our legitimate right to access our land and property. People have to get permission to go to their own home and land. This is absolutely unacceptable." he said.
Stating that they wanted to start the harvest en masse on October 15 this year, Kadiri stated that the farmers went to the olive groves without waiting for permission, but the Israeli soldiers who came to the region only 2 hours later asked them to postpone the work and get permission.
Pointing out that people spend their lives to grow these trees and make them productive, Kadiri emphasized that they have lost their agricultural and livestock resources and that they have no other source to make a living.
"We are putting ourselves in danger"
Lebanese farmer Husni Ganim said that on October 15, Israeli soldiers removed them from the olive grove on the grounds that "they did not have permission" and therefore they could not harvest.
Stating that Israeli soldiers told them that the region was within the occupied "Yellow Line", Ganim said that he later tried to reach the olive groves again, but Israeli soldiers fired artillery fire twice to make them move away from the area.
Ganim said, "We really need to collect these olives. I am retired, my salary is not enough to make a living. I trust God and the olive trees." he said.
Emphasizing that they are still waiting to enter the olive groves, Ganim said, "All the people of the town and the farmers are trying to come together and go to collect our olives; we are putting ourselves in danger for this." he said.
Ganim said that the Israeli army also uprooted 50 to 100-year-old olive trees in the region.
Harvest under the sounds of airplanes
On the other hand, farmers harvesting olives in regions outside the "Yellow Line" also experience security concerns.
Muhammed Hüseyin, one of the farmers collecting olives, stated that they are afraid due to the uncertainty in the region.
Hüseyin said, "It is not clear where the situation we are in will lead. People want to collect their olives as soon as possible because they are afraid of the conditions." he said.
Drawing attention to the sounds of planes in the region, Hüseyin said, "You can hear the sound of planes now, it has become routine now, we are used to this situation." he said.
Hüseyin stated that the olives have not yet fully ripened due to the late winter this year and said, "The olives need to ripen a little more. However, people are afraid and do not know what will happen tomorrow. That is why they are trying to collect as many olives as they can." he said.
Pointing out that there were cluster bomb residues in some olive groves, Hüseyin said that some farmers could not go to their gardens for this reason.
Emphasizing that they need the support of the state to stay in the region, Hüseyin said:
"We want the state to be with us so that we can stay on our land and not be displaced. The people here do not know any other place; they were born, grew up in this village and raised their children here."
