Olive Tree, sabra plantings
On Friday, February 10, the village hosted [Naftali Raz->http://on-the-left-side.org.il/category/translated-articles/] and members of the social democratic movement, who every year remember Peace Now activist Emil Grunzweig, who was murdered by a right wing extremist 34 years ago during a demonstration outside the Knesset. In a short ceremony they planted an olive tree – a gift of Fawaz Hussein, from the village of Hurfeish. The planting was accompanied by some reminiscences of those present and readings of poetry by Hussein and a Jewish Israeli poet.
Just after the olive tree planting, the village organized the planting of a line of sabras (prickly pear cacti), cuttings of which were taken from the ruins of the Palestinian villages Beit Susin, Beit Jiz, Imwas, Ayn Karem and Abu Shusha. Sabras are a common marker of destroyed Palestinian villages, and often all that remains.
This modest ceremony, attended by a couple of dozen people, contrasted starkly with the official arbor day planting taking place in the JNF/KKL forest across the way. Many busloads of people came to that one. Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked gave a speech. They left behind seedlings to replace the burned forest, but sadly also heaps of plastic JNF/KKL flags.