{"id":38786,"date":"2024-11-26T07:34:04","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T12:34:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/bombs-go-off-all-around-but-in-lebanons-ancient-olive-groves-work-must-go-on\/26\/11\/2024\/"},"modified":"2024-11-26T07:34:04","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T12:34:04","slug":"bombs-go-off-all-around-but-in-lebanons-ancient-olive-groves-work-must-go-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/bombs-go-off-all-around-but-in-lebanons-ancient-olive-groves-work-must-go-on\/26\/11\/2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Bombs go off all around, but in Lebanon\u2019s ancient olive groves, work must go on"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">AABRA, Lebanon \u2014 Mayada El Sayed, duct tape wrapped around her fingers to prevent bruising, efficiently strips ripe olives from a tree, seemingly undeterred by the ever-present threat of bombs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">El Sayed, 45, said she was scared by the regular strikes \u2014 one of which was less than half a mile from Bustan El Zeitoun grove where she was working, a few miles inland from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/israel-strikes-lebanon-ancient-monuments-baalbek-rcna180332\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Lebanon\u2019s Mediterranean coast;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Lebanon\u2019s Mediterranean coast<\/a> and a 45-minute drive south of the capital, Beirut\u00a0 \u2014 as Israel pushes into the neighboring country to fight the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/israel-hamas-war-iran-hezbollah-lebanon-militant-group-rcna120092\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Hezbollah militant group;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Hezbollah militant group<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">The mother of three said she worried about something happening to her children at their home in the town of Haret Saida, the site of multiple Israeli airstrikes on homes and businesses. She said she feared she wouldn\u2019t be able to get home to them.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"col-body mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-[4] size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Mayada El Sayed plucks olives from a tree.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel the day after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/israel-says-palestinian-militants-are-infiltrating-gaza-rcna119315\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Hamas terror attacks on Oct. 7, 2023;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Hamas terror attacks on Oct. 7, 2023<\/a>. Lebanese health officials say more than 3,600 people have been killed in the country since fighting began last year. The United Nations\u2019 refugee agency says 1.3 million people have been internally displaced.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">Hezbollah attacks have killed about 100 civilians and soldiers in northern Israel, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/rocket-attack-town-israeli-controlled-golan-heights-rcna163936\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Israeli-occupied Golan Heights;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Israeli-occupied Golan Heights<\/a> and southern Lebanon over the last year, according to Israel, and 60,000 civilians have been evacuated from the north. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/arrest-netanyahu-icc-warrant-divides-world-israel-gaza-rcna181320\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> has vowed to pursue military action against Hezbollah until those displaced Israeli families can safely return home.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"col-body mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\"><strong>Farm to table<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">Amid the death and mass displacement, farmers are experiencing other profound losses. Olives are one of the region\u2019s key crops, but only one month into the conflict, more than 47,000 olive trees had already been lost in southern Lebanon, according to a February report from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.undp.org\/sites\/g\/files\/zskgke326\/files\/2023-12\/gaza_war_preliminary_findings_on_the_socio-economic_and_environmental_impact_on_lebanon.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">Since then it has only gotten harder for olive farmers, with Israel stepping up its air and ground campaign and moving troops and tanks into the region in September<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">\u201cIt\u2019s very vulnerable for the farmers \u2014 they wait throughout the year to harvest, and they live from what they produce,\u201d said Walid Mushantaf, manager of Bustan El Zeitoun.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"col-body mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Olive Groves in Lebanon Threatened by Israeli Strikes (Anagha Nair)\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/zj0yO6kSsz0nJQ_jojOL_A--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/nbc_news_122\/05446f03723ccafa3a73822a68c16130\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-[4] size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Harvested olives on the ground at the Bustan El Zeitoun grove.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">Mushantaf said many other farmers had been unable to get into their groves and that their harvests would go to waste.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">He worked to build up his farm after the Lebanese Civil War ended in 1990 and said the land had previously been earmarked as a construction site before he converted it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">\u201cI was born in this village, and I know my grandfather used to go to the olive grove and have a nap in the summer under a tree,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was like his second home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">El Sayed, who lives with her husband and their three children \u2014 Ibrahim, 16; Ahmed, 14; and Zainab, 12 \u2014 as well as her mother-in-law, said she is her family\u2019s\u00a0 sole breadwinner.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">\u201cWe have to pay bills \u2014 rent for the house, electricity, government bills for water, internet. We need to work, and to eat,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">She goes home at the end of the day, but 15 other workers live at the grove.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">One of them, Youssef Muqbil, 32, an Egyptian, said he relies on olive farming to support his wife and two children, ages 11 and 13, back home in Egypt.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">When the workers at the grove hear about airstrikes nearby, they retreat into their houses, but that doesn\u2019t stop the sounds.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"col-body mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Olive Groves in Lebanon Threatened by Israeli Strikes (Anagha Nair)\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/9EYelRIVW0_VvSWs_vBH5w--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/nbc_news_122\/57b68c964d6e2931e534e5aa22527420\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-[4] size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Walid Mushantaf at his grove.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">\u201cThe strikes are so near us,\u201d he said, explaining how terrifying these experiences are for the workers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">The war has dealt a significant blow to\u00a0 Rose Bechara Perini\u2019s company, Darmmess, after equipment used in processing the olives was bombed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">A lot of the farmers from Deir Mimas, the village where her business is based, have been displaced to Beirut and are waiting on a \u201cmiracle\u201d that could allow them to safely return home to their livelihoods, she added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">\u201cOlives are the economy. It\u2019s our income, it\u2019s our subsistence, it\u2019s our heritage,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s everything in the village.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0\">This article was originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/israel-hezbollah-conflict-lebanon-ancient-olive-groves-rcna180758\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:NBCNews.com;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">NBCNews.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/bombs-off-around-lebanon-ancient-121004302.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AABRA, Lebanon &mdash; Mayada El Sayed, duct tape wrapped around her fingers to prevent bruising, efficiently strips ripe olives from a tree,<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/bombs-go-off-all-around-but-in-lebanons-ancient-olive-groves-work-must-go-on\/26\/11\/2024\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38788,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38786"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38786\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}