Tent of Nations Farm
on May 21, about 1700 fruit trees were lost in a fire that was unfortunately set ablaze by an unknown cause on the lands of Tent of Nations farm. it took over an hour for the fire station from the nearest Palestinian city to come, and it is suspected that a permit was needed for them to arrive, because of the situation of Israel's jurisdiction over Area C of the West Bank, where this farm is located. in fact, an Israeli fire department arrived outside the farm, whose road was blocked to vehicles since 2002 by the Israeli forces. when the Israeli fire department found that it was not a settlement that was in danger of the fire, they left and offered no assistance to the Nasser family, who has legally owned these farm lands for over three generations.
in the photos, you'll see Daoud Nasser, who is the main caretaker of Tent of Nations along with his brother Daher. my first two months beginning my extended stay in this land were spent volunteering with the farm. the land was bought in 1916 by Daoud's grandfather and the family has the documents from the periods of the Ottoman and Mandatory Palestine to prove it. despite this, the IOF has attempted several times to confiscate the family's land - about 100 acres.
Tent of Nations currently has 23 demolition orders on its property. the value of the property destroyed in the fire amounts to about $82,000. what's more is that the remaining 65 trees of the 1700 were destroyed by settlers, escorted by the IOF and a bulldozer, who forced themselves onto the farm grounds and uprooted these sacred fruit trees before the eyes of the Nasser family.
in spite of all of these hardships so often a reality for Palestinians, Daoud was hopeful in our meeting. I am again and again humbled and inspired by this attitude. despite everything, he strongly believes in non-violent resistance. he enduringly recognizes that all is created in the image of g-d and is guided by his faith. he hopes to replant many trees this coming fall, and said the planting of even a single tree is to believe in the future. Daoud refuses to be victimized and strongly believes instead of reacting, taking action itself. may we all learn from this kind of strength.