Sweet grapes from Palestine – The grape farmers of Al-Baqa'a

In the Palestinian village of Al-Baqa'a to the east of the city of Hebron, is one of the region's oldest vineyards – surrounded by an Israeli settlement. The Al-Natsheh family first planted a total of 4,000 vines on their plantation back in 1956. Impressions by Mohammad Alhaj

1. Grape picking on the Al-Natsheh plantation begins at first light. During the harvesting season, some 15 helpers gather the grapes and pack them into crates
2. The packed crates of grapes are taken to a vehicle that delivers to various markets in Palestine. This one is travelling to Nablus
3. The table grapes grown by the Al-Natsheh family are not used to make wine. The Palestinian photo journalist Mohammad Alhaj says tradition and religion are more important to Palestinians living in Hebron than those from other cities in the West Bank
4. The estate extends over an area of 40 dunam (1 dunam = 1000 m²). It came into the possession of the Al-Natsheh family in 1932; they began planting the first vines just three decades later
5. Abdel Aziz Sallam manages the estate and recalls that his father Dawood Sallam Al-Natsheh bought the land in the year 1932 for 250 Palestinian pounds, the currency during the British occupation era
6. When work began to establish the grape plantation in 1956, the hilly environs were still undeveloped. A year after the Six Days' War, in 1968, this military barracks was built on one of the nearby hills
7. A short time later, the settlement of Kiryat Arba was also built. Today, the settlement is so large that it almost completely surrounds the plantation. Abdel Aziz says there have been no violent incidents to date, but he fears his land could be annexed, or that he could be forced off his property
8. Abdel Aziz and his colleague Mohammed Naser Al Jabari - (behind) – on the plantation
9. Mohammed Naser Al-Jabari is responsible for selling the grapes. He finds buyers across the entire West Bank
10. The increasing competition posed by Israeli products on Palestinian markets makes it difficult for local producers to sell their goods. The resulting trade disputes and the decline in the sales of regional products harms smallholders such as the Al-Natsheh family
11. Imports and exports between Israel and the West Bank are controlled by Israel. This means Israeli products have a monopoly in the occupied territories. And unfortunately for the Al-Natsheh family, in this respect the Palestinian Authority cannot guarantee any economic security for the grape farmers