For the first time in two months, Palestinian farmer Abdul Qader al-Basyoni, joined by international and local peace activists, managed to enter his olive farm which is dozens of meters away from the security fence separating the Gaza Strip and Israel.
The 50-year-old man with grey hair, from the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, hurried to touch the ripe olive fruits that dangled on the branches in his deserted 20-donums (1,000 square meter) field located in the heart of a 300-meter wide no- man zone imposed by the Israeli army along its borders with the enclave in 2008.
Israel said the buffer zone aimed at preventing Palestinian militants from launching home-made rockets against neighboring Israeli communities.
"I can't believe that I'm in my farm now," al-Basyoni said when he was collecting green olives before the Israeli soldiers came to disperse the protest.
Surrounded by peace activists who were waving Palestinian flags, al-Basyoni said his pleasure to collect his crops is beyond description, though the season to harvest olives in Gaza started over a week ago.
"I'm not afraid of the Israelis now even if they are going to shot me dead. At least I would die for my land," he said as he punched olive branches with a stick, forcing the ripe olives to drop onto plastic rugs spread beneath the tree.
The solidarity event was organized by the Local Initiative, a coalition of local and international peace activists that champions Palestinian farmers whose fields are in the buffer zone and help them reach their lands during the olive harvest season.
Al-Basyoni said he believed that the participation of international pacifists may help the local farmers cultivate their fields since they cannot risk their lives by approaching an area declared as a military zone by the Israeli army.
"We eagerly wait for the olive season as it is our main source of income," he said. "But we have been denied access to our lands and deprived to make living for two years."
The olive harvest season in Palestine starts at the beginning of October and ends in November. Most of farmers sell their crops of raw olives in local markets, while others take the produce to mills to make oil.
Coordinator of the Local Initiative, Saber al-Za'anin, said the group aims to help the farmers to reach their farms at the borders.
"We strongly reject that Israel imposed a buffer zone," he said. "Israel should solve its problems with the militants without harming civilians or damaging their economy."
According to figures released by Palestinian officials, at least 13 million olive trees were uprooted by Israel during its 2009 war on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, which negatively affected the olive business in the impoverished seaside territory.
The figures also showed that around one million olive trees were destroyed by Israel for the purpose of setting up a security fence in the West Bank which was declared illegal by the International Court of Justice in 2004.
Like other farmers who own lands in the buffer zone, al-Basyoni will not be able to go back to his farm unless another occasion comes or a final settlement is reached by Israel and the Palestinians.
"Though Israel deprives me of my land and destroy our fields, our olive branches will always be there to symbolize peace," he said.
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