A farmer during the olive harvest in south Lebanon, on Sept. 25, 2026. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
"Most of our land is in Ainata [Bint Jbeil], currently under Israeli occupation. Our father planted all the olive trees there and cherished them so much. He tended to them himself to make sure no one damaged them. On his deathbed, we all promised to carry on his life's work. Today, we cannot even reach this land."Hanane Jamal, a farmer and mother, captures the suffering of southern Lebanon's olive farmers.Like Jamal, many farmers can no longer access their land after Israel occupied more than 600 square kilometers of southern Lebanon under the pretext of establishing a "security zone." Even outside the area demarcated by the "yellow line," olive growers who can reach their land face risks during the harvest. The Lebanese Army has in recent days escorted farmers in Kfar Shuba and other villages in the...
"Most of our land is in Ainata [Bint Jbeil], currently under Israeli occupation. Our father planted all the olive trees there and cherished them so much. He tended to them himself to make sure no one damaged them. On his deathbed, we all promised to carry on his life's work. Today, we cannot even reach this land."Hanane Jamal, a farmer and mother, captures the suffering of southern Lebanon's olive farmers.Like Jamal, many farmers can no longer access their land after Israel occupied more than 600 square kilometers of southern Lebanon under the pretext of establishing a "security zone." Even outside the area demarcated by the "yellow line," olive growers who can reach their land face risks during the harvest. The Lebanese Army has in recent days escorted farmers in Kfar Shuba and other villages in...
