4) Negotiating The Olive Harvest
10/27/02 - , West Bank John Petrovato(edited by Ben Scribner)
After a couple of successful olive harvests in the village of Yasuf, more difficulties have ensued.
The military constantly changes decisions about where the villagers can harvest and whether there will be protection for them if they do so. On Monday, October 21st, the army informed us that we could harvest, only to find out on our arrival at the road block at 6 in the morning, that the military had closed the area. The IDF assured the villagers that in following days the [olive harvesting] area would reopen and protection [from settlers] would be given. We
believe such assurances are weak, but Palestinian villagers felt they had little choice, and they agreed to accept the military's offer.
Our group then traveled from Yasuf to Yanun. There were unconfirmed reports that settlers in that area had occupied houses and burned down some of them. It was also reported that they had destroyed the power generator for the village.
10/27/02 - , West Bank John Petrovato(edited by Ben Scribner)
After a couple of successful olive harvests in the village of Yasuf, more difficulties have ensued.
The military constantly changes decisions about where the villagers can harvest and whether there will be protection for them if they do so. On Monday, October 21st, the army informed us that we could harvest, only to find out on our arrival at the road block at 6 in the morning, that the military had closed the area. The IDF assured the villagers that in following days the [olive harvesting] area would reopen and protection [from settlers] would be given. We
believe such assurances are weak, but Palestinian villagers felt they had little choice, and they agreed to accept the military's offer.
Our group then traveled from Yasuf to Yanun. There were unconfirmed reports that settlers in that area had occupied houses and burned down some of them. It was also reported that they had destroyed the power generator for the village.