This is a neat little story about the oldest olive tree in the Middle East, still alive. It was estimated by UN experts to be 3,700 years old and is in the Palestinian village of 'Arraba in Galilee. The owner says that his family was forced out of its home in the village of Hittin (In July 1187 at Hittin, the Muslim forces of Saladin defeated the Christian forces of the Latin King of Jerusalem, Guy de Lusignan, resulting in the King's humiliating capture) in Tiberius by Zionist gangs in 1948, when he was 11.
Many tourists now come to see the tree (the circumference of the trunk is about 25 feet), which was planted in the Canaanite era, since it represents so many civilizations and people who passed through the area, including the Romans and Jesus Christ! It symbolizes all those people who sat in its shade, ate its fruit and told their stories.
With its steadfast roots, it inspires the owner, reminds him of his childhood and it deepens his attachment to the land.
The Palestinian Pundit
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