Olive Trees and Uprooting: Palestine's Arboreal History

In Episode 66 of The History of Palestine, Lucas and Luna explore the deep cultural, economic, and political significance of the olive tree in Palestine — from ancient Canaanite groves to the Ottoman tax registers, and from the 19th-century soap industry to the modern uprooting of trees under military occupation. They trace how a single crop shaped the landscape, identity, and resistance of a people. Along the way, they unpack the symbolism of the olive branch, the science of grafting, and the brutal irony of bulldozers versus ancient roots. Listeners will encounter the Roman destruction of groves, the Ottoman Land Code of 1858's effect on peasant farmers, the British Mandate's forestry policies, and the contemporary role of the olive harvest in nonviolent protest. This episode offers a fresh lens on Palestine through its most enduring symbol — the olive tree — and asks what it means to uproot a tree that has stood for centuries.

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