Israel-Palestine

Workers harvest olives in the town of Birzeit in the West Bank of the
Palestinian Occupied Territories, October 2003. Most towns in the West
Bank are affected by the continuous expansion of Israeli settlements and
constant harassment by the Israeli military. Many Palestinian farmers
struggle to make a living due to Israeli settler violence, military
restrictions on access to farmland, and confiscation of Palestinian land
itself. According to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, the Israel
Lands Authority plan for 2005 includes construction of 6,391 new settlement
housing units in the West Bank. The Israel Lands Authority denies the
claim.

Separated by an olive branch Palestinian farmer Abu Rushdi, left,
harvests olives on his land with help from Rabbis For Human Rights volunteer
and Israeli citizen Yonatan Vardi, right, in the village of Qofin in the
West Bank of the Palesinian Occupied Territories, November 2003. Qofin is
one of many villages and cities in the West Bank being affected by the
separation barrier being built by Israel. Many of the village's farmers
have been denied complete access to harvest their crops.