Top Ten Reasons to Join the Trees of Reconciliation Campaign

Palestinian life has been crippled by 41 years of military occupation, with unemployment rates over 25 percent and crisis levels of poverty and malnutrition. This economic devastation is a serious roadblock to peace; replanting olive groves is one step towards restoring economic stability, which is crucial to all hopes for peace for Palestinians and Israelis.

2. Planting olive trees takes a long-term, peaceful stand against the Occupation.

Olive orchards have been targeted for destruction by settlers and the Israeli military because they represent Palestinian self-sufficiency and land-ownership. Because these trees can live for centuries, providing sustenance for generations, so your donation of saplings is a long-term investment for peace.

Olive production makes up more than a quarter of total agricultural production in the West Bank. Olive oil is a basic component of the daily meals of Palestinians, and is also a strategic product of the national economy. The destruction of olive groves threatens Palestinian lives and the prospects for peace.

4. Planting trees is a direct and positive impact U.S. Jews can have in Palestine.

Over half a million olive trees have been bulldozed by the Israeli Defense Forces since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000. Those of us who oppose the Occupation have been unable to stop the destruction. Now there is action we can take -- donate to the Trees of Reconciliation project to replant olive trees, providing direct aid to farmers who have suffered these losses. That U.S. Jews would pledge dollars to replant olive trees in the West Bank is more than economic assistance to needy people; it is a powerful statement of your moral commitment to healing and reparation between Jews and Palestinians.

Under Israeli military law in the Occupied Territories, Palestinian land that is declared "fallow" can be confiscated for Settlements. Planting olive trees helps protect farmland from this kind of seizure, protecting the basic human right to live on and farm one's own land.

Supporting small farmers, organic methods, and fair trade is a global movement. Planting olive saplings extends your concern to farmers in Palestine. The Palestine Fair Trade Association supports cooperative organic farmers who are pledged to fair trade principles, giving priority to those who have sustained losses as a result of the Israeli Occupation and to women farming alone following the death or imprisonment of family members.

The conifers planted as Jewish National Fund forests to "green the desert" have produced barren landscapes, threatening indigenous species and draining water resources. Planting olive groves reverses this damage, restoring native plants and animals and using water wisely. These groves also keep fertile land from being "developed" into massive suburbs.

U.S. opponents of the Israeli Occupation often find ourselves in difficult conversations with our family and community members. A gift of trees planted to support justice and peace makes a powerful statement about your vision for the future, and can open dialogue about human rights, economic justice, and the effects of the Occupation on Palestinian families.

Your contribution toward Trees of Reconciliation helps Jewish Voice for Peace continue our work to change U.S. policy. JVP supports international law and human rights as the touchstone of all efforts to resolve the conflict between Israeli Jews and Palestinians.

Each olive tree planted in the Occupied Territories is a tangible symbol of hope for a better future in Israel-Palestine. Planting trees to support peace embodies our proud tradition of tikkun olam/acts of social justice. A gift of trees passes on our values to our communities and to the next generation.