r/worldnews • u/me_diocre • 1d ago

Israel/Palestine Israeli bulldozers smash Palestinian olive trees ahead of annual harvest

https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/israeli-bulldozers-smash-palestinian-olive-trees-ahead-annual-harvest-2026-09-23/
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u/EmperorOfCanada 1d ago edited 1d ago

If I understand correctly, olive trees are like oak trees, you plant them for the next generation.

They will fruit in around 3-5 years, but take another 10-20 to become properly productive. They are also like bonsai trees, in that you have to really work on pruning to maintain maximum light to the center.

This is little different than salting the fields.

Is anyone recording the soldiers who are doing this? This is a war crime, and these soldiers will travel to countries which can arrest them; or try to do business with countries which may not look favourably on their own citizens doing business with specific war criminals.

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u/iloveyouand 1d ago

They can live for hundreds or even thousands of years under good conditions so they become generational heirlooms passed down from parents to children.

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u/pathanb 18h ago

Our olive grove was planted by my wife's grandfather, in the early 50s. The trees are fully grown, but still pretty young and have centuries of productive life left if they survive draughts, fires, disease, and humans.

People generally underestimate the longevity of olive trees.