Could the Israelis if given the chance help make all the Arab deserts green ?
They already did. Look at how they made the desert inhabited by Palestinians in Gaza “bloom”.
Israel has destroyed more than half of Gaza’s farmland.
While this makes vital resources like water dangerous to access or consume, the full extent of the damage is still not known.
Before and after satellite images show vehicle tracks over the once-fertile regions of Beit Lahiya:
Source: Planet Labs PBC | Before: June 2023:
Source: Planet Labs PBC | After: May 2024:
Defying Israel’s ongoing attacks, farmers like Youssef Abu Rabieh figured out ways to grow food between bombed-out buildings - makeshift gardens of repurposed containers.
Palestinian farmer Youssef Abu Rabieh launched his agricultural initiative despite ongoing Israeli attacks in Beit Lahiya, on April 28, 2024.
South of Gaza City is Zeitoun, a neighbourhood named after the Arabic word for olive. Before and after satellite images show southern Zeitoun where nearly every last bit of greenery has been wiped out. Source: Planet Labs PBC | Before: June 2023:
Source: Planet Labs PBC | After: May 2024:
During one short pause in fighting from November 22 to December 1, Palestinian farmers ran to harvest their olives and extract oil, because they do not know any other way to live, and because they needed the harvest. Olive cultivation is crucial in the Palestinian economy and is used for everything from oil to table olives to soap.
Palestinian farmers work to press the olive crop for oil during the one-week pause in Gaza City, November 27, 2023.
The satellite images below show the widespread destruction of farms, roads and homes in eastern Maghazi in the centre of Deir el-Balah. Source: Planet Labs PBC | Before: November 2023:
Source: Planet Labs PBC | After: May 2024:
The satellite images below show how Israeli forces have decimated Khan Younis’s orchards and farmlands. Source: Planet Labs PBC | Before: November 2023:
Source: Planet Labs PBC | After: May 2024:
Before and after satellite imagery shows how Israeli forces have flattened vital fields in eastern Rafah. Source: Planet Labs PBC | Before: May 2024:
Source: Planet Labs PBC | After: June 2024: