"I feel as if I were living in South Africa"

In the United States and other Western countries, the symbol of the campaign for nuclear disarmament has gradually become a recognized emblem of peace. In the Middle East, however, peace is symbolized by a dove bearing an olive leaf. This symbol has its origins in the Biblical story of Noah, who stayed in the ark until he sent out a dove to see whether the flood was over. When the dove returned to the ark with an olive leaf in its beak, he understood that the waters had receded and the ark could be opened.

In Middle Eastern culture the olive tree has become the main symbol of stability, tranquility and peace. The olive tree also symbolizes the eternal bond between humans and the land. On 13 November 1974, when Yasser Arafat spoke at the UN Assembly in New York for the first time as the representative of the Palestinian people, he famously commented: "Today I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter's gun. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand."

Palestine has always been closely associated with the olive tree. The native Palestinians admired the olive for its splendid appearance, with its fresh green leaves and powerful roots that can penetrate rocks, and for the diverse properties of olives and olive oil. Olives are used as a staple food item, while olive oil is used for lighting, moisturizing the skin, curing various ailments and wounds, and strengthening the skin and muscles. Olives were also used to manufacture ink and soap. The olive tree has a remarkable capacity to bear fruit over hundreds and even thousands of years. In the Galilee and Jerusalem there are some olive trees that are over two thousand years old and which still bear fruit.

The unique qualities of the olive tree made it an emblem of the Palestinian people's struggle against the Israeli occupier, a symbol of sumoud (steadfastness) in the face of draconian occupation, and a metaphor for the people's deep roots in the land -- roots that cannot be torn up by any external power. In the occupied territories many cases have been seen in which olive trees have been uprooted by bulldozers on the pretext of "security," in order to expand settlements or build the "separation barrier" -- and always at the expense of Palestinian land. For Palestinians, the uprooting of olive trees symbolizes the effort by Israel to tear up the Palestinian people's deep roots in the land. Such acts carry an implicit message from the Israeli side: "You have no roots here and no rights to this land." Uprooting olive trees also symbolizes the trampling by Israel of any chance for peace and calm in this small piece of land. More