Echoes of a Ravaged Land: Uniting for Peace and the Environment in Israel-Palestine

By Tendai Makaripe

In the golden embrace of a sprawling olive grove, 70-year-old Ahmed tenderly touches the stump of what once was a majestic olive tree, a silent witness to countless family memories and seasons.

The stump is but one of many trees uprooted or damaged, casualties of Israeli military operations, settler violence, and the construction of the separation wall.

For Ahmed, each tree wasn’t just a source of income or sustenance; it was a tangible thread to his ancestors, a symbol of Palestinian cultural identity and their profound connection to the land.

A few kilometers away, the horizon reflects a different sorrow.

Rivka, an Israeli settler, sits with her young children, telling tales of a more resplendent Dead Sea, its waters once gleaming an azure blue.

She fears her children might grow up without experiencing its past beauty, a treasure she once took for granted.

While Ahmed mourns the olive trees of his heritage, and Rivka the diminishing natural wonders, their stories, emerging from opposite sides of a deep-rooted conflict, intertwine in shared grief.

Both bear witness to the heart-wrenching reality: amidst political disputes and territorial claims, it’s the cherished environment that silently suffers, bearing scars that might take generations to heal.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, rooted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, stemmed from rising Jewish and Arab nationalisms vying for sovereignty in the Middle East.

Post-World War I, the British Mandate over Palestine saw increased Jewish immigration, igniting tensions with the Arab majority. By 1947, a UN partition plan proposed separate Jewish and Arab states, which the Jewish leadership accepted but the Arab leadership rejected.

Israel’s subsequent declaration of independence in 1948 led to warfare with Arab nations and significant Palestinian displacement.

Over decades, wars, uprisings, and attempted peace treaties have shaped a complex dispute marked by territorial disagreements, security challenges, and deep-seated historical and religious narratives.

The conflict, with its origins intertwined with issues of territoriality, identity, and faith, has long consumed the global spotlight but lurking in its shadow is an overlooked casualty: the environment.

The region is already facing the effects of climate change, such as rising temperatures, droughts, and sea level rise, which are exacerbated by political instability and violence.

The conflict has led to deforestation, land degradation, and reduced agricultural productivity in both Israel and Palestine.

A 2012 report from The Applied Research Institute Jerusalem (ARIJ) noted that: “Since 1967, 800,000 olive trees in the West Bank have been removed by Israeli authorities due to military actions, aggression from settlers, or while building the separation barrier.”

This practice of tree uprooting by Israeli forces and settlers has stirred tensions for years.

“These olive trees not only symbolize Palestinian cultural heritage and bond with the land but also represent a crucial income source and food security for many Palestinian agriculturists,” said media, conflict resolution and transformation researcher Lazarus Sauti.

The removal of these trees exacerbates soil degradation, diminishes water conservation, and hampers agricultural productivity.

Additionally, the ongoing conflict hinders land development strategies in both regions, constraining their adaptive capacities against challenges like urban sprawl, rising populations, and global warming shifts.

In a recent report by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Israeli settlers damaged or uprooted over 9,300 Palestinian-owned olive trees just last year.

“Especially during the olive harvesting season, Palestinian cultivators in the occupied West Bank confront recurrent hostilities from Israeli settlers,” said Palestinian activist Saleh Hijaz

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In addition to the tangible loss of olive trees, numerous Palestinian agriculturists in the West Bank need Israeli authorization to enter their territories located near restricted zones adjacent to unauthorized Israeli settlements.”

These Israeli settlements represent Jewish residential areas established unlawfully on Palestinian territory.

Currently, an estimated 600,000 to 750,000 Israeli settlers reside in over 250 unauthorized settlements throughout the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

“Many Palestinian farmers are often denied access to a significant portion of their lands near these settlements, with entry allowed only on limited days annually,” said migration researcher Gift Mazhozho.

According to human rights organization HaMoked, there has been a noticeable decline in permit approvals in recent times.

 In 2020, a mere 24 percent of these land access applications received approval.

Amidst these environmental upheavals, it’s the human stories that truly strike a chord.

Like Ahmed, many farmers grapple with unpredictable harvests, their connection with the land straining with each passing year.

Families, be it in bustling Tel Aviv or the narrow alleys of Gaza, are plagued by water shortages.

Fishermen who once sailed hopeful into the sunrise now return with meager catches, their tales of plenty slowly fading into folklore.

And as the environment transforms, cultural traditions deeply rooted in the region’s natural bounty are jeopardized.

Water is a scarce and contested resource in the region, with both Israel and Palestine facing water shortages and quality issues.

The main sources of water are the Jordan River basin and the Mountain Aquifer, which are shared by Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

However, the allocation and management of these water resources are highly unequal and politicized. According to Amnesty International, Israel controls about 80 percent of the water from the Mountain Aquifer, while Palestinians only have access to 20 percent.

Moreover, Israel restricts Palestinian access to water by imposing permits, destroying infrastructure, or diverting water to Israeli settlements.

As a result, many Palestinians suffer from inadequate water supply, high water prices, and poor water quality.

With conflict-related activities further polluting these water bodies, it’s the common Palestinian and Israeli households that face the dire consequences.

In Gaza, where Israel has imposed a blockade since 2007, over 90 percent of the water from the Coastal Aquifer is unfit for human consumption due to overexploitation and contamination from seawater intrusion, sewage leakage, and agricultural runoff.

“Israel and the Palestinian territories are in a severe water crisis. The accumulated water deficit in the region has reached the level of annual consumption. Such a deficit jeopardizes the quality, and hence the availability, of freshwater in the aquifers. Evaluation of the economic value of the water in dispute between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) reveals that it is of secondary importance relative to the dangers posed by water scarcity,” wrote academic Yossi Yakhin in a research titled Water in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.

But it’s not just the silent earth and water that bear witness.

The skies, often echoing with the ominous hum of drones or the distant thud of artillery, carry with them the burden of air pollution.

This constant state of unrest, punctuated with construction and conflict, ensures that clear, noise-free days are a rarity.

The use of weapons, explosives, and fires during military operations or attacks has released harmful substances into the air, such as particulate matter, heavy metals, and greenhouse gases.

These substances can cause respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and climate change. Furthermore, the conflict has hindered the development and implementation of environmental regulations and standards in both countries.

For instance, Israel has refused to ratify the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, which would oblige it to stop dumping hazardous waste in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Additionally, Palestine lacks the capacity and resources to properly manage its solid waste, wastewater, and industrial waste, leading to environmental degradation and health risks.

The conflict has also threatened the rich biodiversity of the region, which hosts various ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, deserts, coral reefs, and marine habitats.

The conflict has caused habitat destruction, fragmentation, or degradation due to land clearing, infrastructure development, and settlement expansion.

“Diplomatic pressure, mediated talks, and promoting dialogue between the parties involved should be prioritized. Collaborative initiatives focusing on environmental restoration and sustainable development can serve as common ground for building trust and fostering cooperation,” said analyst Caroline Magedi Gwandingwa.

Furthermore, influential individuals can use their platforms to advocate for peaceful resolutions, highlighting the interconnectedness of the conflict’s impact on both people and the planet. Environmentalists can engage in joint projects aimed at rehabilitating the damage caused by years of hostilities.

By collectively working towards ending the conflict, people not only secure a brighter future for the people of the region but also preserve the delicate balance of our shared global environment.