Battir

Battir, one of the most amazing and beautiful places I have been to in my entire life. It belongs to a tribe known as Bani Hasan where it lies eight km west of Jerusalem. At one point it belonged to the Jerusalem district, but after the Israeli occupation over the holy land it was separated. Now it belongs to the Bethlehem district. Many historians studied the name of the village. They concluded that it meant the house of the bird. There were many reasons for going on this walk. First, to notice its exquisiteness and study the landscape and what it held within it. Secondly, and most importantly, was to plant the hills of Battir with numerous types of trees. Mainly olive trees where used. This action was fulfilled to try and prevent Israeli expansion into the beautiful hills of Battir.

We started out our walk on an early morning through the valley of Battir towards its village. It was an exhausting but educational walk. As we strolled along, we learned about many different trees on the way. For instance, I have learnt that the Balot tree only grows to a certain level depending on the soil it is growing on. If the soil has a thick layer, it will grow more drastically than the ones that grow on slight layers of soil. Not only have we learned about the neighboring trees in various types, but also about old houses in the surroundings. These old houses were built so when land owners would come to work and harvest their lands, they would have shelter in a close region. Many of these aged homes have been deformed due to strong rain and winds. More and more exciting scenes were detected as we walked further into the valley. We encountered many small caves that seemed to be well preserved and used as shelter in older days. Underground well were also noticed on the way to the village. From my own knowledge to this, these wells were built in order to preserve water collected in the winter and so the surrounding these well taken care of trees could use these collected water to its benefit. These valleys and hills really amazed me in many different views. For instance, most of it was mainly green! It was also tremendously preserved. On that day, we saw many people nurturing their lands in the hills and valley. I barely see that any more now days. People seem to be less caring to their lands and more focused on their careers. This is exactly what leads to Israeli occupation and makes it much easier for them. That is why we headed on our expedition in the first place. Our plan was to plant as much trees that we could get our hands on in order to try and prevent Israeli occupation to this wonderful landscape that was being nurtured with continuous efforts by the people of Battir.
Finally, the village was in our eye sight. Most of the students were eager to get there as soon as possible. Many were very tired and hungry. In our brief stay in the village of Battir, the hosts were extremely welcoming and very helpful. I personally met a couple of them and asked them how often do they work in their lands and take care of it in fear of Israeli occupation to the place. Many told me that they try to do as much as they can in fear of this tragic incident, if it were to ever take place. They also pointed out to me the railroad that was located in the valley of Battir. It was the first time I had ever seen a railroad in Palestine. Obviously, it was Israeli owned. After our reliving break from that long walk, it was time to head once again into the hills of Battir to start our tree planting. As we were heading towards the hills, we passed by water spring which we stopped at and drank some natural refreshing water. These springs benefit Battir in many ways. They support the growth of nearby trees and other greens. They also collect this water into a pool-like structure, were many of the kids living in the village go down there for a swim. Many interesting natural scenes were noticed and many aged structures as well, but for now the main objective was to be carried out.

Right on the outskirts of Battir, and close to the planting site was where we unpacked the tools and trees and marched towards the hills. We started off digging into the soil as deep as the tree demands, then placing it into the hole and covering it back with dirt. We also placed white cartons around the tree, which I have learnt, helps it grow faster. As the tree was placed and ready, we made sure to dig around it in order for it to acquire water from rain. Another think a have noticed and took into consideration was the method they used to dig around the tree. When I would usually dig around a tree, I would make it in a roundabout structure circling the tree. What I was taught that day was do dig sideways away from the tree than sort of leads a path of water towards the tree where it tends to acquire more water. Using that method, I realized that the tree therefore collects ten times the amount of water than it normally would.

This whole experience was very interesting and educational. The fact that Israel tends to take this land by force is tragic. Most likely in the end, it will eventually steal that beautiful landscape as it has done repeatedly in the past. On the contrary, this doesn’t mean not to try and prevent this incident from happening. By completing this task and marking that the land is being cropped and used by several people, it can be used against the Israeli occupation and preventing it from such a hideous crime it seeks to commit. By fulfilling this task and knowing that Israel have no problem demolishing such natural gifts, I still have this amount of hope to grab onto by successfully being able to nurture my land, Palestinian land.
Done by: Salah Daoud