An outrage on the newly issued Social Security Law

To carry on with their demands had been brought up at 15th Oct demonstration, thousands of Palestinian protesters, mainly workers belong to the private sector, largely gathered in the streets of Ramallah today calling for withdrawing or modifying the items of the Social Security Law.

Some employees lifting up protest signs. Taken by Nasser Al-Qadi

This series of protests and strikes have been consecutively occurring since the enactment of this law in March 2016. Therefore, the protesters threatened that there will be disobedience in the private sector next month in case their demands ended up ignored, which will paralyze it entirely.

Based on this law, 7.2% of employees' monthly salaries will be deducted for investing it in a social security fund. On the other hand, employers will be required to pay about 9% of their employees' salaries into the fund, which makes the employees very concerned that their employers might deduct this amount from their own salaries. Furthermore, the law stipulates that both spouses are required to pay into the fund, but only the husband's income is to be received; as well as, widows can't inherit their deceased husbands' pensions and orphans can't receive their parents' pensions at the end of the university. This means that these amounts of money will be saved up in the fund without being spent by the owners in the future, which raises the protesters' suspicion with the question, "Where will these pensions be spent eventually?"

A general scene of the demonstration. Taken by Nasser Al-Qadi

Criticisms hovered over this law due to the inadequacy of issuing it, as it was done unilaterally in closed channels away from a unanimous decision by all workers and labor unions.

Today, I was asked again, "What are you doing in your life? Make it before it's too late!"

The Palestinian human being isn't only suffering from the occupation, but also from the social burdens!

Harvesting olive ... 

My journey with harvesting olive hasn´t ended yet. I passed by this beautiful old-growth olive tree today. It´s the oldest one we have in the field. It was planted by my mother´s grandfather who was born in the 19th century. I  estimate it´s a century old or maybe more as my mother in her 60s, and her father in his 80s, and has a brother in his 90s. So, my estimation is somewhat correct. I love this tree so much given to what it has been offering in this life! It testified a long history in this troubled area. Therefore, I keep cleaning up around to be steadfast hopefully for long years to come. 

To be continued ... 

Picking up olive trees

In this season, I told my father that I feel like going to pick up olives, so needless to bargain the field with the renters this time. Based on this bargaining system, the renter takes half of the crop and the other half goes to the landlord, regardless of the amount of product. 
We used to harvest our olive trees, but we couldn't do so over the past few years due to the lack of workforce, and my parents don´t have enough power to do so anymore. 
I actually felt kind of nostalgia that I should go back to the field this season as I have enough time. I like it so much!
Anyway, briefly on olive trees in Palestine, they significantly cover the agricultural landscape, and one of the most famous trees due to the tasty oil extracted. Moreover, people here respect it given to its sanctity, which is mentioned in Qurán in At-tin sura, for example, (IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL) "By the fig and the olive; By Mount Sinai; By this City of Security (Makkah) (I). And indeed We have honored the Children of Adam, and We carried them on the land and sea, and have provided them with At-Tayyibat (lawful good things), and have preferred them above many of those whom We created with a marked preferment (II)."
This tree adds a beautiful feature to the land, especially if cultivated in an orderly way. It's old-growth features a history of a long generation, as many of them were cultivated by the generation of the beginning of the 20th century, even during the Ottoman Empire. I could touch upon lots of them are very old and huge. Therefore, ladders are needed to climb up or sometimes without if its branches aren´t tightly interwoven or knotted up, and safe to climb. However, some of them have weak branches are breakable given to the amount of water although there is no need for irrigating them regularly, they mainly depend on rainwater. 
Also, this tree symbolizes our identity and culture as our name is closely associated with. It has a big place in our heritage though and a special season we pick up olive fruits to extract oil and make pickled olive, which is very tasty with different flavors and spices.
As maple tree means a lot to Canadians, it´s the same story here. 
Regarding oil extraction, after picking up olive, we pack it into sacks and then throw it on an uncovered ground, but not stacked or piled up, so that sun rays can go through to dehydrate it. This process takes about 3 weeks to a whole month, then it's sent to the squeezer, a big factory, to extract oil. Some people take the remains that come out of a big tube for fertilizing the land or warming up the fireplace, as it becomes an inflammable material after dehydrating it. Afterward, and during the first two weeks, oil is inedible, because in this phase still very sour and full of acidity, which fades away over time. 
Olive oil isn't cheap, very healthy, natural 100% no other substances used to produce it, and highly recommended by doctors. It's better than other kinds of oil that cause obesity according to the medical research.

President Macron