"Nous resterons ici tant qu'il y aura du thym et des olives"
Not far from Bethlehem, in the hollow of a valley and a stone's throw from the Green Line, the village of Wadi Fukin - population 1400 - is literally surrounded. To the east is the Israeli settlement of Beitar Illit; to the west, Tzur Hadassah and the separation barrier. The growing expansion of the settlements and their infrastructure continues to threaten the land of the village's inhabitants. For them, the objective is to protect the land at all costs.
I shared the daily lives of the farmers of Wadi Fukin and took some photographs.
Some of them chose one or many pictures and they wrote on it their thoughts and feelings about their connection to the land.
This connection is imbued with a religious, identity and cultural dimension. Each of them, in their own way, experiences an intimate relationship with this land; Manal works with her son Yousseph to maintain the water collection stronghold, Fahima is one of the last female farmers in the valley and Samir is forced to work on the other side, reluctantly, in an Israeli vineyard.
What they all have in common is a visceral attachment to their land and their village.
"In the immediate or long term, Israeli settlements will disappear. And justice will take place, no matter how long it takes", wrote a farmer on this landscape showing the village of Wadi Fukin in the foreground with the settlement of Beitar Illit in the background. Wadi Fukin, 26 March 2022.
"I am a farmer from Wadi Fukin, I love my land very much because it is the source of my livelihood (...)-the beautiful Wadi Fukin", wrote Ibraheem Manasra, a resident of Wadi Fukin. He is part of the first generation in Wadi Fukin who could no longer live as a farmer. He was forced to drive a cement truck to the settlement of Beitar Illit to support his family. Cheap Israeli products flooded the Palestinian markets, bankrupting farmers and forcing them to work in the construction sector or on Israeli farms. Wadi Fukin, occupied West Bank, 23 October 2022.
"I will teach my children that the land is the most precious thing we have. I will stay and live in my land despite the plot of the occupier Palestine is my paradise, my life and my future. I am from here and this is my grandfather's land",wrote Ibrahim around his portrait. A resident of Wadi Fukin for generations, he has been helping farmers throughout the West Bank. Wadi Fukin, occupied West Bank, 27 March 2022.
"Ala Dalona and Ala Dalona, the olives of my country are the best" (this phrase is taken from a traditional Palestinian song). The olive picking season is the most beautiful season for the Palestinian farmer, it is the harvest of a whole year of waiting. We gather on the day of the harvest in the wilderness, we make food and tea. Everyone is happy, we sing for the olives as we pick them", wrote a female farmer from Wadi Fukin, occupied West Bank, on 27 October 2022.
"We reap the fruits of our labour from the land. The more you give to the earth, the more it gives to you. Life goes on and on, 'without interruption'. You can't get anything without working hard on it." Wadi Fukin, occupied West Bank, Area C, 23 October 2022.
"The suffering of the Palestinian people (workers) to take care of the lives of their children and families. This image embodies the suffering of the workers inside the Green Line. It also shows the difficulty of the road to their work (...) Despite the difficulty and danger, they struggle to make a living, even if it costs them their lives", -a farmer and resident of Wadi Fukin. Wadi Fukin, occupied West Bank, 29 March 2022.
"Despite the misery, despite the fatigue and despite the injustice, we love the land and we fight for it. No matter how long we have known the oppression of the occupier, we will continue to work the land", wrote one of the Palestinian workers in an Israeli farm. Mata, Israel, 29 March 2022.
"The height of injustice is to work in a field you love (agriculture), for the occupier," wrote one of the Palestinian workers on an Israeli farm. Mata, Israel, 29 March 2022.
"I feel comfortable with my friends at work, it's a bit cold but it's not too bad", wrote Sameer Manasra, a farmer and resident of Wadi Fukin. Mata, Israel, 29 March 2022.
"This is the suffering of the Palestinian farmer who struggles and fights for the good of the land and to preserve it. We hope that the free and democratic world will support our people and give them back their rights",wrote a farmer from the village. Wadi Fukin, occupied West Bank, 27 October 2022.
"I am very happy when I work the land, which is mine and my ancestors". We will pass it on to the grandchildren, generation after generation",wrote Samir, a farmer from Wadi Fukin, around his portrait. Mata, Israel, 29 March 2022.
"For the people I never forget. One cannot live happily without remembering them", writes Fahima, one of the last female herders in the Wadi Fukin valley. Wadi Fukin, occupied West Bank, 28 March 2022.
"I will remain happy as long as I live in this land", says Nimer Mohamad Hassan, a herder in Wadi Fukin. Wadi Fukin, occupied West Bank, 28 March 2022.
"My roots are in this land and will remain so", wrote this farmer from Wadi Fukin, around his portrait. Mata, Israel, 29 March 2022.
"I will teach my children that the land is the most precious thing we have. I will stay and live in my land despite the plot of the occupier Palestine is my paradise, my life and my future. I am from here and this is my grandfather's land", Ibrahim wrote around his portrait. A resident of Wadi Fukin for generations, he has been helping farmers throughout the West Bank. Wadi Fukin, occupied West Bank, 27 March 2022.