When Olive Trees Become a “Security Threat”

For decades, the IDF & Jewish Israeli settlers have uprooted thousands of Palestinian olive trees & restricted farmers from accessing their fields—measures that Palestinians have long viewed as an effort to drive them from their land.

The justification? In some cases, the IDF has claimed that these trees posed a “security threat” to Israeli settlements. But how can an olive tree be a security threat? And when destroying a family’s trees also destroys its livelihood, what are we really talking about? I call it Israeli economic terrorism.

The olive tree is far more than a tree in Palestine. It is a symbol of resilience, rootedness, and the enduring connection of the Palestinian people to their land. For centuries, olive trees have provided food and livelihoods while carrying deep cultural, spiritual, and historical meaning.

Destroying an olive tree does more than remove a source of income. It can erase decades—even generations—of cultivation and sever a living connection between families and the land they have worked for generations.

If an olive tree can be treated as a “security threat,” perhaps we should ask what is really being threatened: security—or a people’s connection to their land.

Israeli Home Demolitions

Let’s not forget that Israel has also engaged for years in the demolition of Palestinian homes, which Palestinians and human rights organizations have described as another form of collective punishment and a violation of international law. These actions have included sealing off homes, demolishing them, and expropriating property in which Palestinian families have lived for generations. Like the destruction of olive trees, home demolitions can strip families of their livelihoods, security, and connection to their land.

Over 800,000 olive trees on Palestinian farms have been uprooted the Israeli army and settlers since 1967 

Get to know the full story behind this iconic image of Palestinian woman Mahfodah Shtayyeh who hugged her olive tree like her child on Al Jazeera’s YouTube Channel. 

"I hugged the olive tree... I'd raised the tree like my child." Mahfod... | TikTok

Mahmoud El-Yousseph is a Palestinian freelance writer and retired U.S. Air Force veteran. He writes about U.S. foreign policy, Middle Eastern affairs, and justice.