The olive harvest season in Palestine has started. For Palestinians, the olive harvest is not just important for the local economy but is a national event, expressing unity, social cohesion, and defiance of the Israeli occupation.
Israel often erases ancient olive groves in the occupied Palestinian territories to build illegal Jewish settlements, confiscate Palestinian land for whatever military purpose, or simply break the spirit of ordinary Palestinians.
This is why the olive harvest is an important Palestinian occasion to send a message back to Israel that the relationship with their land is as strong as ever.
In the gallery below, hundreds of Palestinians, mostly volunteers, from across the Gaza Strip gathered to pick their olives, sing traditional songs, and dance the Dabke while cooking traditional meals.
Palestine Chronicle correspondent joined the celebrations and sent us these photos.
(All Photos: Mahmoud Ajjour, The Palestine Chronicle)
