South Lebanon: Hope of return takes root among the olive trees

Residents of Alma el-Chaab in southern Lebanon are seeking permission to harvest their olive groves as the picking season approaches in mid-October. More than six months after being forced to leave their village, the displaced community hopes the harvest will serve as a first step toward returning home.

Maronite Chorbishop Maroun Ghafari, the parish priest, said that while ten farmers received limited permission to clear overgrown plots in September, the community is now waiting for authorization to begin picking. The residents remain displaced across various regions of Lebanon and are not yet permitted to live in their village.

The upcoming harvest carries uncertainty because conflict in the region has destroyed or damaged some agricultural lands and olive groves. Families are unsure if they will be allowed to work the land or if the remaining trees are still capable of producing fruit. Chorbishop Ghafari noted that a successful harvest would help the community move along the path toward returning to their homes.