My dearest brothers and sisters – Assalamu’Alaykum,

I have been blessed to visit Palestine twice previously. Firstly, my experience in Gaza in 2009 and then later in Jerusalem during Ramadan 2016. Words cannot describe what the eyes saw and what the ears heard.

Here at home in the UK we are feeling vulnerable and isolated despite the services we have available to us. In many ways Allah SWT is testing us and the question is in this time of vulnerability, in this time of insecurity how do we respond to those in far dire need well before COVID 19 surfaced?

Our Palestinian brothers and sisters have been living under conflict and occupation for decades with no end in sight – the stories are heart-wrenching.

I am making a personal plea and appeal to everyone to support the planting of olive trees. By planting a minimum of 10 trees, you are helping to tackle poverty in the region, strengthen and stimulate economic conditions for impoverished farmers, create jobs and more importantly assist in beating food insecurity. Our campaign will be planting trees throughout the central and northern West Bank region targeting pockets of high unemployment and vulnerability. Together we can make a difference!

For years olive trees have been uprooted and destroyed. Olive trees have been cut down, harvests stolen and burnt, with water wells wrecked and agricultural lands bulldozed over. Olive trees are a blessing for the people of Palestine and a vital source of income for poor farmers. Olives are a main source of income for over 80,000 Palestinian families. According to UN figures, around 48% of the agricultural land in the West Bank and Gaza are planted with olive trees. Olive trees account for 70% of fruit production in Palestine and 93% of the olive harvest is used for olive oil production while the rest is used for olive oil soap, table olives and pickles. Much of the olive production is for local consumption.

The fruit they bear provides Sunnah food and the Prophet (SAW) himself said: eat the olive and use it as an ointment as it comes from a blessed tree (Tirmidhi).

Click Here and give the gift of just 10+ olive trees to a Palestinian family! You’ll be providing regular crop and a reliable income whilst planting the seed of hope!