BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK - OCTOBER 22: Palestinian farmers harvest olive despite Israeli soldiers' harassments in Bethlehem, West Bank on October 22, 2025.
LET CHILDREN LIVE CAMPAIGN
Please pray that the children of West Bank olive farmers are unharmed during the olive harvest.
Pray to our gracious and loving God for a shield of protection over children, their families and friend undertaking great risks to harvest their produce. Pray that the farmers are able to access their olive groves. Pray that God protects them and their children from harassment and physical settler violence. Pray that the harvesters may enjoy solidarity and joyful interactions. Pray that the trees remain undamaged and that the harvest is plentiful. Pray that the farmers manage to take the olives harvested to presses in a timely manner and the olive oil to market to sell. Give praise to our Lord God, who through the mouth of his prophet proclaimed that one day “they shall sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees and no one shall make them afraid.” (Micah 4:4) Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.
Context: The Impact of the Olive Harvest on West Bank Palestinian Families
The annual October olive harvest in the West Bank is a vital economic, social, and cultural anchor for Palestinian society, but it has increasingly become a period of severe physical danger, restricted movement, and economic loss due to escalating conflict.
Livelihood Support: An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 West Bank families rely on the olive harvest from roughly 10 million olive trees for their livelihoods and income.
Sector Value: The olive sub-sector injects between $160 million and $200 million into the Palestinian economy during productive years.
Community tradition: Traditionally, the harvest season is a joyful event where families, friends, and local volunteers gather to pick olives and share meals.
Identity and connection: Olive trees represent a profound, generational symbol of Palestinian connection to the land, history, and national identity.
Settler violence: A sharp spike in Israeli settler attacks against harvesters includes physical assaults, stolen crops, and destruction of thousands of ancient olive trees.
Fear and displacement: The combination of violence and restricted access turns daily harvesting into a life-threatening ordeal; some families abandon their lands.
Exposure to Violence: Children accompanying their families to olive groves often suffer psychological trauma and injury from Israeli settler and military violence.
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