The 1910 Jaffa Orange: Palestine's Export Empire

In Episode 88, Lucas and Luna peel back the layers of a commodity that defined Palestine's economy and global image before the 20th century: the Jaffa orange. They trace its journey from a small-scale orchard industry in the 1850s to a booming export trade by 1910, when Jaffa oranges reached London, Paris, and even New York. Lucas explains how the Ottoman Land Code of 1858 and the Jaffa–Jerusalem Railway (Ep 81) transformed cultivation, how Jewish and Arab growers competed and cooperated in the citrus sector, and how the fruit became a symbol of Palestinian identity at world fairs and in diplomatic gifts. He highlights the role of key figures like the Arab entrepreneur Khalil al-Khalidi and the Jewish agronomist Aaron Aaronsohn, who introduced modern irrigation. The episode also examines the 1910 tariff controversy with the Ottoman Empire and the impact of World War I on the industry. Luna asks about the labor system, and Lucas details the mixed workforce of Arab fellahin and Jewish immigrants. The conversation ends with a reflection on how the Jaffa orange—a tangible, sweet fruit—embodies both the prosperity and the fragility of late Ottoman Palestine.

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