Olive

For Palestinians the olive tree is more than a crop – it is a symbol of family, of the land and of holding on to it.

The olive is an evergreen, slow-growing tree with a knotty trunk and narrow, silvery-green leaves. It bears small white flowers in spring and in autumn produces fruit that is pressed for oil. It tolerates drought, heat and the stony soils of limestone hills. The trees can live for more than a thousand years, and old specimens with hollow trunks still bear fruit.

Significance in the country

Olives grow on nearly half of the cultivated land of the West Bank, and the autumn harvest (al-qataf) is a family celebration in which whole villages take part. Olive oil, Nablus soap and olive-wood carvings from Bethlehem are among Palestine’s most recognisable products.

Where it grows

Olive groves cover the hills of the entire West Bank – most of all around Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarm and Ramallah; smaller orchards also grow in the Gaza Strip.

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