{"id":18795,"date":"2026-04-06T10:41:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T07:41:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/?p=18795"},"modified":"2026-04-23T14:52:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T11:52:08","slug":"holding-olives-preserving-culture-in-times-of-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/holding-olives-preserving-culture-in-times-of-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Holding Olives: Preserving Culture in Times of War"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"18795\" class=\"elementor elementor-18795\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-597182f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"597182f\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b3bd741\" data-id=\"b3bd741\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a132631 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a132631\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Holding Olives: Preserving Culture in Times of War<\/strong><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Artists Document Land Sovereignty in South Lebanon<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c7b35dd elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c7b35dd\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5bc315a\" data-id=\"5bc315a\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7b4c3f6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"7b4c3f6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab3.jpg?fit=800%2C530&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-18806\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab3.jpg?w=3090&amp;ssl=1 3090w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab3.jpg?resize=300%2C199&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab3.jpg?resize=1024%2C679&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab3.jpg?resize=768%2C509&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab3.jpg?resize=1536%2C1018&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab3.jpg?resize=2048%2C1357&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab3.jpg?resize=600%2C398&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab3.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab3.jpg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d9f8be6 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d9f8be6\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-15c00da\" data-id=\"15c00da\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7de4b77 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7de4b77\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Granddaughter of the Olive Tree<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Yaroun, South Lebanon, 2022. Analogue photography by Zeinab Mahfoud.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b6fd87b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b6fd87b\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-570a1af\" data-id=\"570a1af\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9e21336 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9e21336\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My uncle\u2019s father, my honorary jiddo, led us to an olive tree in the abandoned Nejmeh Square in Beirut. We gathered around as he reached up high for an olive to show my cousins and I how squeezing it would release its silky juice. The bitter scent and unripe tartness was a conduit of time\u2014an exchange between a proud jiddo and excited learners drawn toward the land amid tired architecture and dissenting street art leading us from Martyrs\u2019 Square.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Later, as we drove through our ancestral village of Qaraoun in the Beqaa Valley, jiddo took us to his patches of land where he planted almost 200 olive trees some 50 years ago. Lamenting that it was not olive season yet, I beamed as jiddo showed us the ripe fig trees co-habitating next to the olive trees. We began to eat straight from them, all of us cousins taking his lead as he harvested buckets of figs to share with family, like my mom had done before me.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I returned home to Canada with a small olive branch and a bag of exposed film rolls, ready to forge memories into art and facilitate more learning from the teachings and direct experience with the land. I held the material traces of home, carried them pressed in the pages of an old recipe book, feeling completely transformed.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In October 2025, summer had turned to fall, and I phoned jiddo to check on the olive harvest season. He told me the yield was quite small. It was to be expected, as the effects of climate change, rising temperatures, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/2616453\/middle-east\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">drought<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (the worst in 65 years) affected the size and quantity of olives, which rely on rain for irrigation. All of Lebanon was feeling it, but in the South, where <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/land-stories.org\/olives\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">38 percent<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the country\u2019s olives come from, the effects of Israeli military violence and Zionist occupation inhibited the olive harvest to another level.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Artists responded with acts of preservation and knowledge mobilization. Photographer Zeinab Mahfoud and filmmaker\/journalist Angie Mrad positioned their artworks as ways to honour the food ritual in light of how olive trees are not just casualties but targets themselves. Their artworks radiate with love for the land and dedication to olives as resistance for the South.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was the first olive harvest season since the so-called ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel went into action on November 27, 2024\u2014yet it was far from usual.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>Olives under attack<\/b><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2024, many olives remained <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/aanab.news\/p\/its-mid-october-and-i-cant-see-the?utm_source=profile&amp;utm_medium=reader2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">unpicked<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> due to escalating war and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/news\/stories\/displaced-families-lebanon-yearn-peace-and-return-home\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mass displacement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, impacting a large source of Lebanon\u2019s economic and cultural sustenance. To this day, the South\u2014especially the border villages\u2014still face prolonged displacement, occupation, and attacks, as the Lebanese Armed Forces neglects to defend the border while aiming to disarm the resistance.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Israel Occupation Forces (IOF) uses ecocide as a weapon of war in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/forensic-architecture.org\/investigation\/ecocide-in-gaza\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Palestine<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and this could easily be classified as the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/global\/world-analysis\/2025\/11\/29\/lebanon-israels-ecocide-turns-southern-green-spaces-to-ash\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">case<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Lebanon. They are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.anera.org\/blog\/the-2025-levant-olive-oil-crisis\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">responsible<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for the destruction, burning, and uprooting of ancient olive trees and other agricultural assaults\u2014among the significant life lost. In this context, the relationship between food sovereignty and land sovereignty is one and the same.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/rosalux-lb.org\/publications\/agricultural-sector\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">report<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by the Beirut regional office of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Israel\u2019s attacks affected 36,000 farmers in Lebanon during the 2024 war, leaving 71 percent unable to access their lands. Damages were extensive, impacting olive trees the most\u2014reflecting 57 percent of agricultural damages\u2014followed by fruit trees and grapevines.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More than 60,000 ancient olive trees (with an average age of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nowlebanon.com\/the-silent-groves-how-war-and-climate-change-are-squeezing-lebanons-olive-oil-harvest\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">150 years<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) were destroyed and the use of white phosphorus munitions on the South has caused long-term soil and water contamination. While the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/openknowledge.fao.org\/items\/a4d7d914-e341-44db-a4de-c1e5f6aaacd2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reported<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> USD 700 million in agricultural damages and losses in Lebanon between October 2023 to November 2024, the study by Rosa Luxemburg Foundation reports that damage estimates overall exceed $3 billion as of August 2025, \u201ccompounding the existing economic crisis.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Given the gravity of the situation, efforts to preserve culture relationally, collectively, and creatively are important gestures of defiance, which artists are enacting in South Lebanon\u2014efforts that deepen the significance of the olives with each passing year.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-dbf5b71 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"dbf5b71\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1e10a40\" data-id=\"1e10a40\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bff2589 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"bff2589\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>Rooted and uprooted<\/b><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While visiting Lebanon last summer, I attended a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DNxQGlzWD21\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">film screening<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Horsh Beirut dedicated to agriculture and land sovereignty. One of the films that touched me the most was <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/video\/digidocs\/2025\/10\/22\/aje-onl-shiftingroots_digidocs-221025\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shifting Roots<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (2025), a short documentary directed by Angie Mrad about 81-year-old Nouhad of the border town of Marjayoun who was forced to flee her home. The film follows her brief return during the war to collect some things and harvest a small amount of olives outside her house.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nouhad\u2019s joy for the small amount of olives is immense. In the film, Nouhad says, \u201cI\u2019ll keep the hope, hope is beautiful. What can we do? There is nothing we can do. We smile, that\u2019s life, if we die, we\u2019ll die happy. Like the olive tree is rooted in the land, so are we.\u201d The name \u201cShifting Roots\u201d references the destruction of olive trees, but also the experience of displacement.<\/span><\/p><p><br \/><br \/><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9f79413 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9f79413\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-99c78d3\" data-id=\"99c78d3\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-517f282 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"517f282\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"454\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie1.png?fit=800%2C454&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-18796\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie1.png?w=1964&amp;ssl=1 1964w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie1.png?resize=300%2C170&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie1.png?resize=1024%2C581&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie1.png?resize=768%2C436&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie1.png?resize=1536%2C871&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie1.png?resize=600%2C340&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie1.png?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-89fb652 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"89fb652\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-253938d\" data-id=\"253938d\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-034f340 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"034f340\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=kV52-YCyWWA\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shifting Roots<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a short documentary by Angie Mrad following the story of Marjayoun-native Nouhad, who was forced to flee due to Israeli attacks. 2025.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-176926b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"176926b\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-378b93e\" data-id=\"378b93e\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ccc942 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6ccc942\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In an interview with the Beirut-born and raised South Lebanese director, she informed me that the majority of Nouhad\u2019s olive trees are located in an orchard currently still under shelling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the accepted risks taken by those who choose to stay on their land, filming in a war zone comes with certain professional responsibilities, which were important to Mrad. As a journalist in South Lebanon, Mrad is used to staying despite vulnerability to violence. However, as the director on set, she had the job of deciding when the crew should clear the area.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI don&#8217;t want to take risks on the people, especially when it is my own project and when I have to make the decision. And I was a director doing a documentary, so it wasn&#8217;t something like breaking news,\u201d she told me. \u201cWhen we go somewhere, we do a risk assessment, and I place limits\u2026 that&#8217;s why when we arrive, I take the most important shots\u2026 entering the house and seeing her stuff, then picking the olives.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the film, we hear Mrad ask Nouhad if she hears the bombing, and Nouhad responds, \u201cIt\u2019s just one.\u201d She is cupping a handful of green and purple olives, almost shrugging at the news. Mrad tells me that when she held a private screening for Nouhad and her family, it was the first time Nouhad\u2019s children knew that she had gone to Marjayoun during the war, since they had asked her not to go for fear of safety.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-af2ca59 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"af2ca59\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-699c5ba\" data-id=\"699c5ba\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b0d1f17 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"b0d1f17\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"451\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie3.png?fit=800%2C451&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-18800\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie3.png?w=1980&amp;ssl=1 1980w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie3.png?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie3.png?resize=1024%2C577&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie3.png?resize=768%2C433&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie3.png?resize=1536%2C866&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie3.png?resize=600%2C338&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie3.png?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-37ddf50 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"37ddf50\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f2bd875\" data-id=\"f2bd875\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8ee0cab elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8ee0cab\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still from Angie Mrad\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=kV52-YCyWWA\">S<\/a><\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hifting Roots<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, available on Al Jazeera. 2025.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a574dc0 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a574dc0\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-bb4b5a8\" data-id=\"bb4b5a8\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44a35a1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"44a35a1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere were four or five strikes and we started hearing them getting louder and louder,\u201d Mrad said as she described the filming day. Her friend called her and said the occupation had just struck close by, so Mrad instructed the crew to pack up and go back to Beirut even though she had hoped to film a sit-in interview in Marjayoun.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the Q&amp;A after the screening, Mrad said, &#8220;you could feel it\u2014not just hear it\u2014you could feel the strikes getting closer.\u201d She added that she chose to film about Nouhad, her neighbour of 25 years, because she represents resilience and hope to her. Three quarters of Nouhad\u2019s orchard had already been destroyed at the time of filming, Mrad further explained during her Q&amp;A.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cShe always says we are as resilient as the olive trees,\u201d she said about Nouhad\u2014who is hopeful that she will be able to participate in the olive harvest next year. \u201cWhen I was having lunch with her in Marjayoun, when she was pouring the olive oil for me; she said, \u2018yeah, but this is not new, this is not from this season, because we couldn&#8217;t.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c02ec98 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c02ec98\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a93ce58\" data-id=\"a93ce58\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2099367 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"2099367\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab4.jpg?fit=800%2C530&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-18808\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab4.jpg?w=3090&amp;ssl=1 3090w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab4.jpg?resize=300%2C199&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab4.jpg?resize=1024%2C679&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab4.jpg?resize=768%2C509&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab4.jpg?resize=1536%2C1018&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab4.jpg?resize=2048%2C1357&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab4.jpg?resize=600%2C398&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab4.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab4.jpg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3b88a2d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3b88a2d\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-99d9179\" data-id=\"99d9179\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-605a681 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"605a681\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Granddaughter of the Olive tree<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Taken in Yaroun, South Lebanon. 2022. Analogue photography by Zeinab Mahfoud.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5bca5b6 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5bca5b6\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f7093a9\" data-id=\"f7093a9\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fc79d55 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fc79d55\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>Collective labor, collective reward<\/b><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Usually, the resulting olives and olive oil from the harvest are enough for Lebanese people to sustain themselves for the year, gift them to family and friends, and for some, to sell them. South Lebanese photographer Zeinab Mahfoud said this year\u2019s olive harvest was different from the others. \u201cThe major difference is that there was no longer a sense of excitement for this season, it was more like a sense of trying to survive,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her grandparents\u2019 neighbors were only able to harvest 4 kg instead of their usual 50 because of damage and lack of access to their land.\u00a0 \u0634\u062c\u0631 \u0627\u0644\u0632\u064a\u062a\u0648\u0646 \u0645\u0634 \u062d\u0627\u0645\u0644 \u0627\u0644\u0633\u0646\u0629\u201d the villagers would say, meaning: \u201cThe olive trees aren\u2019t holding this year.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mahfoud was unable to access her family\u2019s trees this fall, so she participated in the olive harvest with her husband\u2019s family in Jezzine, a southern town that\u2019s a bit farther from the border. Their olive trees are on the same land as their house, making it easier to access.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mahfoud, whose maternal hometown is Yaroun and paternal hometown is Aitaroun, was born and raised in Sydney, Australia and had visited Lebanon twice before moving in 2022, living between the villages and Beirut. \u201cMy maternal grandparents, my uncles and aunts\u2019 homes are all destroyed,\u201d she said. Last October, she made the difficult decision to move back to Sydney for a few years until it is possible to return.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cBecause of the amount of destruction, we no longer had a house to go back to. We intended to live in my grandparents\u2019 house. The house was no longer there, I no longer had work, and we could no longer survive living in Beirut,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beyond safety concerns, the relative she usually harvests with in Yaroun had moved, making it impossible to harvest there this year. \u201cHis house was bombed, and then he got cancer and moved back to New York,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces provided <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/peacekeeping.un.org\/en\/unifil-and-lebanese-army-secure-olive-harvests-near-blue-line\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">escorts<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> between October 16 to 20 to be able to harvest, prune, plough, and cut firewood safely from a number of South Lebanese villages, including hers. However, the land owner needed to apply for the escort, and without him there, it was not possible, she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The escorting process had been <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thepublicsource.org\/lebanon-border-land-farmers\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">initiated<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> due to a lack of government support that caused people to utilize UNIFIL\u2014who sought permission from the IOF and coordinated with the Lebanese army to perform safety evaluations. Attaining clearance to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.al-akhbar.com\/news\/south-lebanon-s-olive-harvest-disrupted-by-israeli-restricti\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">access<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> one\u2019s own land was frustrating and the buzzing of drones added pressure through surveillance as an additional form of psychological warfare. Those who were able to do the escorted harvests still did not have a fruitful season, Mahfoud said.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her photographic series from her first year of the harvest, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DFnUhx4tDjO\/?img_index=4\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Granddaughter of the Olive Tree<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (2022), was driven by a desire to understand how the process works and what the cultural connection to olives is. \u201cFigs, dates, olives, pomegranates\u2014these are all foods that are mentioned in the Quran that we tend to,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mahfoud\u2019s photos show the many details of the collective task of the olive harvest. Some people are on the ladder while others hold the ladder and more pick from the ground. While they work, they keep their tea and fig jam on the side to nibble on. In having made the photographs, she feels an urgency as well. Her ancestral village depicted in the images suffered extensive damage since the photos were taken.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThis is part of our lineage, part of our heritage, and part of my roots, and it&#8217;s true that the olives and the olive trees have been there long before any of us arrived, and long before the IOF and the whole occupation came to be\u2014so it&#8217;s a reminder that this is part of me, part of my land, and part of my heritage,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2b9b701 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2b9b701\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d53f828\" data-id=\"d53f828\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c477391 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c477391\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab1.jpg?fit=800%2C530&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-18802\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab1.jpg?w=3090&amp;ssl=1 3090w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab1.jpg?resize=300%2C199&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab1.jpg?resize=1024%2C679&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab1.jpg?resize=768%2C509&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1018&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab1.jpg?resize=2048%2C1357&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab1.jpg?resize=600%2C398&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab1.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab1.jpg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d12a838 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d12a838\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-283c248\" data-id=\"283c248\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f97c2e3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"f97c2e3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab2.jpg?fit=800%2C530&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-18804\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab2.jpg?w=3090&amp;ssl=1 3090w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab2.jpg?resize=300%2C199&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab2.jpg?resize=1024%2C679&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab2.jpg?resize=768%2C509&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab2.jpg?resize=1536%2C1018&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab2.jpg?resize=2048%2C1357&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab2.jpg?resize=600%2C398&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab2.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab2.jpg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a064fea elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a064fea\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-44b2cf5\" data-id=\"44b2cf5\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-91f364f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"91f364f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Granddaughter of the Olive tree.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Taken during the olive harvest in Yaroun, South Lebanon. 2022. Analogue photography by Zeinab Mahfoud.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-f7006cb elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"f7006cb\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3c4bbc2\" data-id=\"3c4bbc2\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-eceb317 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"eceb317\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mahfoud performed the harvest with her grandmother, inspiring the title of the work. She enjoyed learning it with her because she has \u201cgreen hands\u201d and is a great harvester, she said. The intergenerational implications of learning this land knowledge was an important reminder for Mahfoud that olives are entangled with her identity and with the South.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reminiscing on her first harvest, she expresses how interactive the working day felt: \u201cWe would have lunch and enjoy this time together. It&#8217;s not just a job that you&#8217;re doing. It isn&#8217;t about the result afterwards\u2026 It really is about doing this together as a family,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the outdoor labor, the olives make their way inside the home. \u201cIt\u2019s all we see,\u201d she says. The harvesting process Mahfoud learned is very traditional because her uncle tends to the trees \u201clike they&#8217;re a child,\u201d so most tasks are done by hand rather than with machinery that speeds up the process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mahfoud describes the energy and exchange of the harvest season as a festival. There is a week to two-week period where everyone goes out early in the morning and the entire village is bustling with conversations about the oil. \u201cYou get taste testing around and we would have debates over what the difference is with the oil, who&#8217;s got the nicest oil\u2026 Whereas this year, it was really like, how much can we pick in what amount of time, because we need to go back to Beirut.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The collective spirit of the South\u2019s olive harvest had been shrouded with the heaviness of loss mixed with logistical anxieties, yet land workers persisted and the role of art became clearer in its sociopolitical purpose and potential.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>Liberating the land, liberating the people<\/b><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5a3b93a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5a3b93a\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-84a401a\" data-id=\"84a401a\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f13521 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"1f13521\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie2.jpg?fit=800%2C450&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-18798\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie2.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie2.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie2.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie2.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie2.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie2.jpg?resize=600%2C338&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/angie2.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-0309f43 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"0309f43\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9f3054c\" data-id=\"9f3054c\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-95abc5a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"95abc5a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still from Angie Mrad\u2019s <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=kV52-YCyWWA\">S<\/a><\/em><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=kV52-YCyWWA\"><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hifting Roots<\/span><\/em><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>,<\/em> available on Al Jazeera. 2025.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-358fc2d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"358fc2d\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-43935a1\" data-id=\"43935a1\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7244967 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7244967\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The struggle for a liberated land is a local, regional, and global issue. The IOF\u2019s attacks on trees serve multiple functions\u2014they weaken the economy, attack culture, eliminate cover for the resistance, and make the land unlivable for Israel\u2019s expansionist fantasies toward a \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mofa.gov.qa\/en\/latest-articles\/statements\/31-arab--islamic-countries--arab-league--oic--gcc-condemn-so-called--greater-israel-vision\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Greater Israel<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d that includes Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Jordan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mahfoud was recently hit with the realization that her artwork captures scenes she might not see again. For this reason, she understands her work as an act of preservation. \u201cIt&#8217;s an archive, ensuring that our stories don&#8217;t disappear,\u201d she says. \u201cI fear that one day, there&#8217;s no longer going to be a South Lebanon, and it&#8217;ll be Northern Israel, and so my art is a reflection of that. It&#8217;s a reflection of the way previous generations really understand their own environment that&#8217;s around them.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mahfoud and Mrad\u2019s artworks affirm South Lebanese presence and foodways through olives. They are not only archives, but serve as calls to action for other Lebanese people and the international community in solidarity against the human rights abuses currently being inflicted by the Zionist entity (with Western support).<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMedia and phones are the most powerful tool right now to show the world what is really happening, to show the truth,\u201d says Mrad. She is unsure if justice will come from it, but she remains hopeful despite the lack of progress since 2023, citing the global protests for Palestine as a positive step. \u201cIt&#8217;s gonna take time, but that&#8217;s where our role comes in as storytellers, journalists, artists\u2014it is to keep telling these stories,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From an environmental standpoint, the non-profit <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/apnature.org\/en\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Arab Group for the Protection of Nature<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is committed to replanting efforts in Lebanon and in Gaza, where more than <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.apnature.org\/en\/programmes\/revive-gazas-farmland-project\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1.6 million<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> olive trees have been uprooted. \u201cDefiance is our response, and agriculture is our resistance,\u201d they <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DHip4noND-C\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">shared<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on Instagram.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This perspective of resistance is shared by Mahfoud, who connects the olive harvest with refusal and vitality: \u201cIt&#8217;s a stance of us saying that we&#8217;re still here, our olives are still growing, we&#8217;re still harvesting, which means we&#8217;re still living,\u201d she said. \u201cSo that sovereignty is confirming our existence in this place that is ours.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e678485 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e678485\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5ae9d6b\" data-id=\"5ae9d6b\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-62cb08d elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"62cb08d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab5.jpg?fit=800%2C530&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-18810\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab5.jpg?w=3090&amp;ssl=1 3090w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab5.jpg?resize=300%2C199&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab5.jpg?resize=1024%2C679&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab5.jpg?resize=768%2C509&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab5.jpg?resize=1536%2C1018&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab5.jpg?resize=2048%2C1357&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab5.jpg?resize=600%2C398&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab5.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab5.jpg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4df0937 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4df0937\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a40252e\" data-id=\"a40252e\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-311b4d6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"311b4d6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Granddaughter of the Olive tree. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taken in Yaroun, South Lebanon. 2022. Analogue photography by Zeinab Mahfoud.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7c40e7a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7c40e7a\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4190085\" data-id=\"4190085\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46cddc4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"46cddc4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By working the land, South Lebanese people affirm their deeply rooted presence and protect the longevity of future generations in place. Along with the violence of the IOF and the negligence of the Lebanese government, the land itself is suffering from the effects of climate change. Mahfoud suggests that if we return to the way our ancestors used to do things, specifically with the environment and with agriculture, we might see a change.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Food sovereignty and land sovereignty are vital to the future of the South and all of Lebanon and Bilad al-Sham\/the Levant. Forced separation from the land must be fought against, but growing our relationship with the land is also something to work towards. Olives are more than a symbol or a product. They feed the soul and root us to home.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Afterword<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In March 2026, after more than 15,000 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/reliefweb.int\/report\/lebanon\/msf-update-southern-lebanon-where-ceasefire\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ceasefire violations<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 15 months, Israeli violence ramped up its daily killing and destruction into another war\u2014which in fact had <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/middle-east\/nearly-year-after-truce-women-south-lebanon-say-war-never-ended-2025-10-22\/#:~:text='STILL%20LIVING%20IN%20A%20WAR,When%20it%20totally%20leaves%20Lebanon.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not ended<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014causing more than <a href=\"https:\/\/qna.org.qa\/en\/news\/news-details?id=death-toll-from-israeli-aggression-on-lebanon-rises-to-1318&amp;date=1\/04\/2026\">1300 deaths and 1.1<\/a> million people displaced by the end of the month. Occupation of South Lebanon broadened across the Litani River, with attempts at a ground invasion and stated aims at a \u201clarger buffer zone.\u201d <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thepublicsource.org\/lebanese-army-hezbollah-sovereignty\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Divisions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> within Lebanon have widened and South Lebanese and Gazan artists and journalists are demanding <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/open.substack.com\/pub\/baynhlalyn\/p\/on-image-making-in-the-midst-of-genocide?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&amp;utm_medium=web\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dignity and solidarity beyond witnessing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. A published <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.al-akhbar.com\/news\/toward-a-revolutionary-charter-for-comprehensive-liberation1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">statement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by Palestinian and Arab thought leaders included a proposal for a Charter for Comprehensive Liberation to \u201cconfront this historic moment with courage and ethical commitment.\u201d The genocidal Zionist entity continues to spread propaganda and threats while terrorizing Lebanon with sonic booms, airstrikes, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2026\/03\/09\/lebanon-israel-unlawfully-using-white-phosphorus\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">white phosphorus munitions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ziadaburish\/status\/2032449073006186805?s=20\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dropped leaflets<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/the-occupation-of-feeling-grief-numbness-and-the-war-that-lingers-within\/?utm_campaign=feed&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=later-linkinbio&amp;fbclid=PAT01DUAQ7JBJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA81NjcwNjczNDMzNTI0MjcAAaeqDmJSYgS7TKIoE5c6DfQLKu440AdmTptKtcGREnblgUmLrDa85pN5KYGbYQ_aem_vWpp9U63qK-i0KSBZ3DWqA\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">evacuation notices<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and attacks on <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.agriculture.gov.lb\/Media\/News\/2026\/Lebanon%E2%80%99s-Agricultural-Sector-at-the-Heart-of-the\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">agriculture<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thepublicsource.org\/imperial-war\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">journalists<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.doctorswithoutborders.ca\/lebanon-people-are-cut-off-from-care-as-israeli-attacks-intensify\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">healthcare workers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenationalnews.com\/news\/mena\/2026\/03\/12\/israeli-double-tap-attack-kills-12-on-central-beirut-beachfront-where-civilians-sought-refuge\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">refugee camps<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, families, animals, and infrastructure\u2014disproportionately impacting the South, but also Dahye and parts of Beqaa. A <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.agriculture.gov.lb\/Media\/News\/2026\/Lebanon%E2%80%99s-Agricultural-Sector-at-the-Heart-of-the\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">survey<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of 15,025 farmers by the Ministry of Agriculture found that 76.6 percent are currently displaced from the South, 87 percent of olive presses have been abandoned due to displacement, and 22 percent of the country\u2019s agricultural land has been damaged. Angie Mrad continues to report from South Lebanon and Zeinab Mahfoud recently held an art exhibition and screening fundraiser in Sydney themed around olives in South Lebanon.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Holding Olives: Preserving Culture in Times of War Artists Document Land Sovereignty in South Lebanon Granddaughter of the Olive Tree, Yaroun, South Lebanon, 2022. Analogue photography by Zeinab Mahfoud. My uncle\u2019s father, my honorary jiddo, led us to an olive tree in the abandoned Nejmeh Square in Beirut. We gathered around as he reached up [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18806,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[318],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-silenced-lands-powerful-voices"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Zeinab3.jpg?fit=3090%2C2048&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18795"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18795\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18912,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18795\/revisions\/18912"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}