Chaim Weizmann, first president of Israel: “It seems as if G-d had
covered the soil of Palestine with rocks and marshes and sand, so that its beauty can only be brought out by those who love it and will devote their lives to healing its wounds”
Much of zionist propaganda involves disguising colonialist activity behind a green image. To those who did not know of the people already living in Palestine, zionists pressed the narrative that the land of Palestine was a land without a people and the Jews were a people without a land. To those who did know of the Palestinians already inhabiting the land, zionists pressed the narrative that their agricultural technology was superior to that of the Palestinians and that they were “making the desert bloom” as a justification for the establishment of the state. Not only does this diminish the tragedy of the nakba by claiming Palestine was an uninhabited desert, but it also attempts to diminish the sovereignty of Palestinian people by arguing a stronger claim to the land due to agricultural superiority.
In regards to the validity of these narratives*
1/ The land of Palestine was most certainly inhabited by Palestinians AND
2/ The area within what became Israel actually being farmed by Palestinians in 1947 was greater than the physical area which was under cultivation in Israel almost thirty years later
3/ the property abandoned by Palestinian refugees during the Nakba heavily contributed to Israel’s economy, valuing an estimated 3 billion dollars in 1948
4/ No agricultural achievement justifies the ethnic cleansing of a people
*see ‘Making the Desert Bloom’ a Myth Explained for statistics supporting the above
To this day, these ecoimperialist ideas are promoted. The technology of drip irrigation and solar energy are endorsed by Israel, which is a form of greenwashing.
Greenwashing: acting environmentally friendly while concealing practices of environmental harm and criminal activity
However, not only does this dismiss centuries old sustainable Palestinian agricultural practices, but this technology is not extended to Palestinians, who are more vulnerable to climate change because of it. Gaza is nearing unlivable, with a leading source of death being related to its water crisis. Israel was in the news in 2019 for a partnership between one of its water startups and Michigan’s governor (home of Flint Michigan which has a highly publicized water crisis), yet at the same time that Israel is helping out Flint Michigan, Israel is severely restricting the movement of goods into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, including the necessary materials for water infrastructure.*
The unequal distribution of resources furthers the state of apartheid.
*See the Rand Corporation report for more specific details on the restrictions of movement into Gaza
“Making the desert bloom” became the slogan of the Jewish National Fund (JNF). The JNF states that it has planted over 250 million European pinera and eucalyptus trees. Their forests are strategically planted on the ruins of Palestinian villages in order to erase Palestinian existence on the land. Furthermore, their constitution directly states that their land cannot be rented, leased, sold to or worked by non-Jews. This means that the land owned by the JNF, in accordance with the forests planted by the JNF, are done to prevent Palestinians from returning to their homes.
More than anything in regards to the environment (despite their attempts at greenwashing it), Israel along with organizations like the JNF exploit the resources of Palestine. Since 1967, Israel has uprooted over 800,000 olive trees and replaced them with non native plants. These foreign plants demand much more water than native plants which causes droughts. These trees are also more vulnerable to fire because of their resins, which explains the increase in forest fires where they’ve been planted. Furthermore, 95% of the forests of Gaza have disappeared between 1971 and 1999 due to the spread of military bases and settlements. This has led to large biodiversity loss from the animals whose habitats have been destroyed. The construction of the apartheid wall removed lots of natural vegetation for wild animals.
Israel’s green image is but a facade to hide environmental policy done specifically to erase indigenity without a thought for the actual land.
As climate change continues to get worse, inequalities will grow larger as Palestinians get hit harder with the issues. do not forget about the importance of centering indigenous voices, including Palestinians, when it comes to conversations about the climate.
Sources:
Aida Essaid: Zionism and Land Tenure in Mandate Palestine
Alan George: ‘Making the Desert Bloom’ a Myth Explained
LINKS International Journal of Socialist Renewal: Israel’s Environmental Colonialism and Eco-apartheid:
Opiniojuris: Israel’s Ecological Apartheid in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
[Rand Corporation: The Public Health Impacts of Gaza’s Water Crisis] (https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2515.html)
[Zero co2: Biodiversity Loss in Palestine, the Green Colonialism]
(https://zeroco2.eco/en/2021/05/18/biodiversity-loss-in-palestine/)