An Olive Peace
A compilation of visual narratives from the field: #usaidwbg Storytelling Series
Khaled Hasan Hussein Yaseen Al-Juneidi is an engineer and olive oil expert. Khaled, who lives in the West Bank, has a passion for learning how to make the best olive oil.
“I planted the first olive tree with my father in 1950, when I was 5 years old. And since then, I’ve been with the olive and its industry.” — Khaled
Thousands of families in the region have built their livelihoods around the olive oil industry. Olive trees offer economic opportunity and hold cultural significance. Olive oil is also a unique tool for cultivating peace in the region.
Ayala Noy Meir’s family owns a small olive press in northern Israel.
Ayala and Khaled met four years ago through the Olive Oil Without Borders project. Workshops and trainings on production techniques united them. But it was their shared love for their profession that helped them see how much they could learn from each other’s expertise.
Ayala says this project united her with Palestinian farmers and olive oil producers, people she rarely had the opportunity to meet. A shared passion for olive farming showed her that their similarities were greater than their differences.
Over five years, USAID has helped more than 2,600 Israeli and Palestinian growers produce better olive oil through the Olive Oil Without Borders project. They are learning about pre-harvesting, parasite control, supplementary irrigation and quality control through olive oil tasting seminars and other activities.
The project also renovated 8 mills — about 20 percent of all olive mills in Israel and the West Bank — to increase the quality of oil production. Implemented by the Near East Foundation, the initiative united olive farmers, mill operators, and olive oil distributors through workshops that improve their farming skills to increase olive oil production and profits.
In many cases, this project and others like it are bringing Israelis and Palestinians together for the first time. The effort is part of the U.S. Government’s work to support people-to-people peacebuilding efforts worldwide.
These activities bring together individuals of different backgrounds and help communities address conflict, reconcile differences, and promote greater understanding. By working on common goals around economic development, environment, health, education, sports, arts and information technology, USAID is building more democratic and resilient societies.
Khaled and Ayala are just two of many who have forged a friendship through this project. Since 2012, USAID has brought together 80,000 Palestinians and Israelis to work on issues of common concern and promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
“The olive branch is a symbol of peace in the world. My wish for this land is an olive peace.” — Khaled
This blog is part of USAID’s West Bank and Gaza storytelling series. It is a compilation of stories of individuals, families and communities working to improve their societies — towards growth and progress. They are the inspiring stories of people we work with.
Explore more stories from the Middle East. Check out more video portraits at USAID’s storytelling hub. Follow @USAIDWBG @USAIDMiddleEast and @USAID.
About the Author
Sahar Kalifa is a Senior Communications Advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs. Most recently, she led several PR campaigns for USAID to advance its work globally, including the agency’s first regional communications initiative. Previously, she served as a writer, producer, and creative strategist developing new content for USAID’s storytelling and multimedia platforms focusing on human interest videos and stories from around the world. Prior to that, she served as the Director of Communications for USAID’s Israeli-Palestinian Program.
