US Congress 'Deeply Concerned' About Olive Trees
Al Jazeera details the ongoing destruction of Palestinian olive groves and the brutal harassment of farmers by Israeli settlers and security forces. This isn't a new phenomenon; 800,000 Palestinian olive trees have been uprooted or damaged since 1967, according to UN figures. Yet, the same US Congress that sends billions in military aid to Israel, like the $14.3 billion package passed by the House
on November 2, 2023 (HR 6126), somehow finds time for hearings on TikTok's algorithm, but not the systematic destruction of an entire people's agricultural livelihood. One might wonder if any of the 459 members of Congress who voted for that aid package, many of whom accepted significant donations from pro-Israel PACs (OpenSecrets shows AIPAC's 2023 contributions topping $1.3 million to federal
candidates), have ever visited a Palestinian olive farm. Clearly, 'security assistance' covers everything from F-35s to protecting settlers as they burn down groves, raising questions about whether they're defending democracy or just a very specific, well-funded form of land dispossession.