Palestine

 

6 10, 2025

Volunteers On Palestinian Farms Are More Valuable—and Scarce—Than Ever

2026-05-27T19:36:45-04:00Tags: |

Every October, the olive harvest in Palestine was a time of community. 2,000 volunteers from all around the world would come to help. But not anymore. Atmos’ Yessenia Funes speaks with Daoud Nassar, a Palestinian farmer, about farmers’ experiences. Years of genocide and occupation has led to a 90% decrease in volunteer participation. While losing valuable farmhands is extremely consequential to the harvest, international volunteers also offered a certain level of protection from settler attacks. Now both the land and its people are more vulnerable than ever. The climate crisis has made farming less predictable while political crises have made being a farmer even riskier. One of the families taking the risk are the Nassar’s whose almost 100-acre olive farm is called the Tent of Nations. Since 2002, they have received volunteers. However, if they cannot cultivate their land after three years, the Israeli government can seize it based on an Old Ottoman law. Despite these natural and man-made threats, they maintain the philosophy that is written on a stone at the entrance of their farm: “We refuse to be enemies.”

12 06, 2025

From Gaza to LA, The Right to Remain is Under Attack

2025-12-09T23:17:02-05:00Tags: , , |

Aditi Mayer argues that ‘domicide’ is a global pattern that produces threat through both war and climate inaction. She defines domicide as the deliberate destruction of a home by human action, resulting in the loss of physical shelter, cultural identity, and a sense of belonging. To illustrate this point, she connects two events: the Israeli military's bombardment of Gaza and recent raids by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los Angeles. In Gaza, the violence of war has led to the destruction of most of its buildings and the displacement of 90% of its population. Mayer contrasts this with the 'slow violence' of climate change, which also renders places uninhabitable, as is the case in Pacific Island nations. She also applies the framework of domicide to Los Angeles, where communities already affected by wildfires caused by climate change are then targeted by ICE raids. She sees these actions, the bombardment in Gaza and the raids in Los Angeles, as being linked by a common outcome: the deliberate displacement of people and the destruction of the places they call home. She concludes that the fight for climate justice is fundamentally a fight for the right to remain.

17 11, 2024

Women’s Leadership in Gaza’s Recovery: A Call to Action | Cities Alliance

2025-07-21T14:25:50-04:00Tags: |

At the 12th World Urban Forum (WUF12) in Cairo, Egypt, Cities Alliance and ClimaMed met with municipal representatives from Gaza and international urban experts to discuss the complex challenges faced by Palestinian local authorities and their communities. They highlighted the continued challenges that Palestinian women face and the need to center their voices in reconstruction efforts. Palestinian women have long faced pervasive societal barriers and economic stagnation, such as limited access to essential services and low participation in the workforce. The ongoing genocide in Gaza has greatly exacerbated these issues and put women at increased risk of gender-based violence and exploitation. A key takeaway from this meeting was the need for a comprehensive and inclusive reconstruction plan that explicitly supports women’s empowerment. The article goes on to argue that efforts to rebuild essential services and infrastructure must include direct input from women. Community-driven, gender-sensitive urban planning offers a promising approach that involves women in the design and construction of housing, healthcare, childcare, and safe public spaces. The need for tailored mental health support services to help deal with the psychosocial toll of severe trauma and violence is also emphasized. Despite the extreme challenges that Palestinian women and municipal actors face amidst the ongoing colonial violence, the implementation of a strong recovery framework has the potential to empower Gazan communities. By involving local women in the creation of inclusive, sustainable urban spaces, reconstruction efforts will reflect their needs and the richness of their homeland. One way that we can all support the women of Gaza is to fight for a free and sovereign Palestine.

29 04, 2024

Palestinian Women Speak Out: The Drying of Jordan River, Depleting Water and Livelihoods

2025-04-18T11:32:06-04:00Tags: |

In the face of Israel's ruthless exploitation of the Jordan River, Palestinian women are elucidating the horrific manipulation of water as a tool of brutal warfare, revealing a longstanding strategy epitomized by Israel's deliberate destruction and weaponization of Palestine's natural resources. Megan Awwad's childhood encounter with the degraded river, once a symbol of vitality and history, starkly illustrates the ecological devastation wrought by occupation. Jan Selby's analysis underscores the pivotal role of water in Israel's colonial agenda, used to dispossess Palestinians and fuel territorial ambitions. Amidst the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the plight of Palestine's natural environment and its people's rights is more apparent than ever. From the Nakba to the present day, Israel's manipulation of the Jordan River has caused irreparable harm, displacing communities and erasing cultural heritage. Abdelrahman Tamimi's poignant reflection highlights the river's significance to Palestinian identity, now threatened by deliberate desertification and displacement. As Palestinians endure systemic injustice and engineered food insecurity, Laura Alajma's testimony exposes Israel's exploitation of water resources to sustain illegal settlements. The weaponization of the Jordan River mirrors Israel's broader colonial project, epitomized by ongoing devastation in Gaza. Despite promises of environmental stewardship, Zayneb alShalalfeh's critique, as part of the Palestinian Women Water Practitioners Network, reveals Israel's greenwashing tactics, underscoring the urgent need for a political solution to address Palestine's ecological and humanitarian crisis.

14 03, 2024

Revealed: How the global oil industry is fueling Israel’s war on Gaza

2025-05-22T13:13:35-04:00Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Nina Lakhani, a climate justice reporter for the Guardian, reports on the fuel supply sent to Israel before and during the war on Gaza, drawing on a supply chain report by Oil Change International and additional analysis by Data Desk. To operate its fleet of fighter jets, tanks, and other military vehicles, Israel depends on crude oil and refined products, much of which originates in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Brazil, Gabon, and the U.S., and is supplied by major companies including BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, and TotalEnergies. While most ships en route to Israel turn off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals before arriving, Lakhani notes it is plausible that the last of three U.S. jet fuel tankers departed after the International Court of Justice ruled that the crime of genocide in Gaza is plausible. Reiterating the words of David Boyd, former UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a healthy environment – who stated that countries and companies continuing to supply oil may be complicit in genocide – Allie Rosenbluth, U.S. Program Manager at Oil Change International, calls for the United States to be held accountable for its potential violations of international law. With the siege heavily impacting the population of Gaza, the deliberate targeting of water and sanitation infrastructure, schools, hospitals, and energy supplies further endangers civilians. Lakhani quotes a spokesperson from the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, who emphasizes the need to expose the states and corporations named in the report. Israel, which has no operational cross-border fossil fuel pipelines, relies entirely on maritime oil imports – many from the United States. Lakhani highlights the hypocrisy of leaders like Brazilian President Ignácio Lula da Silva, who made statements of solidarity with Gaza but refused to ban oil shipments, many of which come from offshore platforms.

15 02, 2024

Sowing Resilience: Women Leading the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library

2025-04-18T10:45:53-04:00Tags: |

Amidst Israel's ongoing assault on Palestinian people and traditions, the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library (PHSL) stands as a beacon of resilience, preserving not just seeds but the very essence of Palestinian identity and connection to the land. Founded by Vivien Sansour in 2014, the library carries forward ancestral agricultural practices while serving as a testament to Palestinian perseverance in the face of unimaginable adversity. Through the dispersion of seeds and the sharing of stories, the PHSL defies attempts to erase Palestinian culture and heritage. In a world where traditional livelihoods are under siege, planting heirloom seeds becomes an act of defiance, symbolizing a commitment to survival and continuity. As Palestinians and their lifeways endure profound challenges, the seed library offers a living archive fostering dynamic relationships between humans, nature, and the land. In these seeds lies the hope for a future where resilience triumphs over oppression, and where ancestral wisdom guides us through uncertain times.

29 11, 2023

‘This Genocide Is About Oil’

2025-04-19T16:20:21-04:00Tags: |

Yessenia Fuentes, an environmental journalist and the editor-at-large at Atmos Magazine, is committed to creating change through her journalism. Her article critically examines the ongoing genocide on the Palestinians, linking in to larger colonial, imperial, and environmental forces. Israeli attacks on Palestine since October 7th, 2023 were likely motivated by the extensive fossil fuel reservoir in Palestine. Under Israeli occupation, Palestinians cannot mine the oil in their land or develop cleaner energy systems. Historically, colonization and occupation in the Middle East coincided with the discovery and mining of oil, preventing occupied communities from experiencing the economic benefits of oil in addition to the often violent militarization of their land. Environmental activists aim to stop the mining and use of oil and return Palestine to its restorative initiatives before Israeli occupation. Despite the genocide, Palestinians are preserving their culture and fighting against colonization.

3 02, 2023

Palestinian Tatreez: Embroidering Resistance and Remembrance

2025-04-18T11:24:45-04:00Tags: |

Ayah and Wafa Ghnaim, as guardians of Palestinian Tatreez, embody the enduring symbol of resistance against the ongoing Israeli occupation. This artful embroidery tradition, passed from mother to daughter for centuries, encapsulates a profound narrative of resistance and resilience against the backdrop of subjugation and displacement. Originating as a communal practice, Tatreez adorned garments with symbols reflecting regional identity and societal roles. Through periods of conflict, such as the first intifada, Palestinian women ingeniously wove forbidden symbols into their Tatreez, amplifying their protest against erasure. However, in the modern era, commercialization threatens to dilute its radical origins. Yet, advocates like Ayah and Wafa Ghnaim champion its preservation, emphasizing its role not just as a craft, but as a conduit for heritage, protest, and, ensuring that Tatreez remains a testament to Palestinian resilience, one stitch at a time, even amidst the atrocities of ongoing genocide.

18 09, 2022

Women pioneer green projects in Gaza

2025-03-09T23:58:22-04:00Tags: |

Palestinians in the occupied territories have initiated several eco-projects to recycle waste into eco-friendly products. Under Israeli occupation, the Palestinian territories are facing severe waste and resource crises. There is a severe lack of adequate waste management and recycling facilities in Gaza, made worse by the constant bombings and destruction of infrastructure. This led Huda Thabit, a 40-year-old mother of four from the al-Nuseirat refugee camp, and her husband, Salem, to start a project that turned paper waste into eco-friendly drawing boards. This, and other initiatives, aim to create a positive community impact, address the waste crisis, and foster a culture around recycling in order to reduce the effects of environmental degradation in Gaza. The leaders of these projects are now turning to environmental education to engage younger generations in conservation and eco-friendly work to model a cleaner, healthier future.

11 08, 2021

Palestine Women Defending Water, Land, and Life from the Israeli Occupation

2023-12-07T14:04:08-05:00Tags: |

Women in Palestine fight for their rights while the Israeli occupation controls local water sources, agricultural land, and energy resources. The majority of the renewable water sources in Palestine are under strict Israeli control. Women are the main contributors to the agricultural sector, and play vital roles in rehabilitating the Earth. They have strong connections to the land, so this occupation affects them in particular—especially economically. Energy poverty in Palestine can affect women’s health, education, and lives. The women of Palestine have continued to find ways to adapt and resist throughout the occupation. Photo Credit: Abeer Al Butmeh

8 03, 2019

The Women Refusing To Let Palestine’s Farming Roots Die

2020-10-10T20:18:03-04:00Tags: |

The Palestinian Heirloom Library, in its efforts supporting a Palestinian agricultural scene, stands not only as an act of resistance to Israeli occupation but as a source of cultural tradition and hope in amongst climate change impacts and agribusiness take-over’s. The brainchild of Vivien Sansour, the Heirloom Library was inspired into creation by stories of the succulent watermelon Jadu’I that used to flourish in Jenin. The melon, once a significant cornerstone in the daily lives of Palestinians, suffered (as did much of Palestinian agriculture) after the Israeli occupation. The goal of the Library aims to preserve ancient seed types as well as traditional agricultural practices and revive the heirloom varieties in the fields of the farmers. The Art and Seeds space showcases indigenous seeds and serves to teach the public about long-standing Palestinian farming practices. Photo credit: Vivien Sansour.

23 04, 2016

Palestinian Woman Creates Seed Bank To Save Her Heritage

2017-07-19T21:20:33-04:00Tags: |

Vivien Sansour of the Palestinian Heirloom Seed Library in the West Bank city of Beit Jala is working to preserve native varieties of seeds, traditional farming methods and Palestinian culture in the face of dire climate pressures and military occupation. Photo credit: Peter Beaumont/The Guardian

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