Fruit Trees Now Victims of War

Have you been following the sad story of the Palestinian olive trees being attacked and destroyed by Israeli settlers? Just today there are new reports of chopping, slashing and burning these innocent, food-bearing plants -- some of them very ancient. This agricultural slaughter has been going on for over a decade.

And yes, of course, I am also appalled by the human suffering in this dreadful conflict, but there is something really creepy about launching attacks on defenseless fruit trees. Perhaps this insane violence is just the latest symbol of humanity's ongoing war against the rest of nature.

For some reason we humans don't seem to realize that we are part of nature and completely dependent upon it for life. So we fail to see the suicidal nature of the destruction of our own and our children's life support systems as we continue to chop down trees, contaminate our water and food, poison our atmosphere and pollute our own bodies. Not to mention the damage we do to the bodies and habitat of other species as well.

This is truly insane behavior. As a psychotherapist, I know that if a patient came into my office who was destroying her own and her children's life support systems (suicide, child abuse), destroying the life support systems of her siblings -- humans, other animals and plants -- (homicide/fratricide/war crimes) and attacking and abusing her mother (matricide, ecocide), the law would require me to immediately report her to the police!

The cure for this insanity is care for the rest of nature. Research now shows that the very act of planting and nurturing food-bearing trees and other plants is a healing act as well as a moral imperative.

Comments

[Anode]

Linda, thank you very much for bringing attention to this ecological disaster.

Many people do not realize that trees are "anchors" of ecosystems. Tree roots hold soil and prevent wind and rain erosion, accelerate accumulation of biomass, which feeds multitude of animals -- birds, small mammals, insects that improve soil structure, worms and beneficial bacteria which convert inorganic compounds to forms that can be absorbed by plants. Evolution made olive trees very well adopted to the arid climate of Palestine, and killing them kills vast number of animals who depend on them in this fragile ecosystem.

Apparently, it became the standard operating procedure for the Israeli settlers in the occupied territory to methodically uproot and/or burn crops and especially olive trees.

In other news: IDF during recent Gaza offensive killed animals of the Gaza Zoo

[OldBean]

Oh, the wonderful red herring. People can't justify the insane policy of destroying food trees, so they drag in an argument about greenhouses. Even if the Palestinians had destroyed the greenhouses, how does that make destroying the fruit trees a sane policy?

[Linda Buzzell - Huffpost Blogger]

Theou wrote: "Linda, you do realize that attacks against olive trees is a way to increase the sufferings of human beings who are hated by "the settlers", don't you?"

Yes, I realize that the attacks against the trees are attacks against the people who love and depend on them, and on their ancestors who planted them -- but they are also attacks on the trees themselves! We don't take nature or its sufferings seriously. What if the Israeli settlers had hacked up cows or beheaded dogs belonging to the Palestinians? Would we just think that was an attack on the Palestinians? Or would we recognize the deep anti-nature pathology underlying the act?

Nature herself is alive. Our arrogant human anthropocentrism lets us think that the only suffering of importance is human suffering, but this is part of what's gotten us into the disastrous state where the environment we depend on for life -- and that the plants and animals depend on as well -- is in jeopardy. We focus on our human wars and don't realize that the home we all live in is in the process of going up in flames.

Ecopsychology and ecotherapy are new fields that are trying to help humans realize that the current dysfunctional state of the human-nature relationship is a clear and present danger to the continued survival of ALL humans (and many other species) on this planet.

[Theou]

Linda, thank you for the reply.
And I agree that the deep problem is anthropocentrism, Though I see it as devolving into a view that devalues the majority, those not in charge of the most "advanced" techniques, of human beings along with the rest of nature.
Some humans are more human, i.e. superior to "nature", than others.

[Linda Buzzell - Huffpost Blogger]

Yes, Theou, it's true that we have to be careful not to devalue humans as we learn to overcome our collective anthropocentrism and value nature more. We humans have an important place in nature which we must not abuse.

And of course you're correct that we shouldn't over-value those humans with the most "advanced" (often destructive) technologies. Part of valuing nature more is adjusting our negative judgments of people who aren't disconnected from their land and land-based cultural patterns. Their contributions are critical to our collective survival. As lbsaltzman points out, the Palestinians are guardians of a precious agricultural and genetic heritage that must be respected.

I am convinced that as people becoming more nature-connected and less hostile or destructive towards the land, animals and plants with whom we share this beautiful, fragile planet, we may begin to think more clearly about the long-term effects of destroying or contaminating the life-support systems we depend on. Right now too many "advanced" countries bomb now for supposed immediate gain and don't worry about the consequences for future generations of living beings on all sides of a particular parochial war.

[Theou]

Linda, you do realize that attacks against olive trees is a way to increase the sufferings of human beings who are hated by "the settlers", don't you?
And as to "humanity's ongoing war against the rest of nature" that war has been, largely, fueled by certain tenets of Judeo-Christian philosophy regarding the position of humans in the "natural order".

[precaffeinated]

"When you shall besiege a city a long time, and wage war to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against fruit trees... Only the trees which you know are not trees for food, you may destroy and cut them down to build siege machinery against the city waging war with you.” (Deut. 20:19-20)

[BobLablah]

This is indeed insane. And remember how Israel left those greenhouses in gaza for the Palestinians to build a business to support themselves? The Palestinians stripped them clean in days. More insane behavior.

[BackToFight]

Actually, Israel targeted and bombed them during the Gaza Siege.

[MemoryAlpha]

Distortion:
"And remember how Israel left those greenhouses in gaza for the Palestinians to build a business to support themselves?"

Correction:
"About half the greenhouses in the Israeli settlements in Gaza have already been dismantled by their owners, who have given up waiting to see if the government was going to come up with extra payment as an inducement to leave them behind, say senior officials working on the coordination of this summer's Israeli pullout from Gaza."
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/15/international/middleeast/15mideast.html

[JanetBW]

Additional information. All of the greenhouse that where not destroyed by the Israelis where repaired and

"Less than three months after the Israelis departed, Palestinians have repaired scores of greenhouses left by the settlers and planted a fall crop, and they are preparing to harvest an estimated $20 million worth of strawberries, cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers and herbs and spices. " http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/28/international/middleeast/28gaza.html


"The Palestinians invested millions of dollars to repair the greenhouses shortly after the Israelis left, and had an excellent crop in the winter of 2005 and 2006. But they were unable to export their produce to Europe, the main market, because Israel kept Gaza’s main crossing for goods closed for weeks at a time, citing security concerns." Security concerns over vegetables

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/18/world/middleeast/18gaza.html?_r=1&ex=1172725200&en=2c37950c7fe9a2ab&ei=5070

And they wonder why the Palestinians hate them.

[MemoryAlpha]

Gratitude Expressed:
Immense.

Observation:
I neglected to search for follow-up articles. Thank you for sharing this additional information.