West BankFeature
In Nablus, the olive harvest begins before dawn
For families who have tended the same groves for generations, October means early starts, shared work and a harvest that is never guaranteed.
Olive harvest
Topic
The season that sets the year in the West Bank: the groves, the presses, the land, and the families who work it.
The lead story and the timeline
The story so far
Timeline
Latest on the olive harvest
Coverage
HebronPhotos
Photos: picking olives by hand in Hebron governorate
Hand-picking in the groves of the southern West Bank.
Explained
Who owns an olive tree? The question behind every harvest
Inheritance, land registration and the trees that outlive their owners.
Opinion
What a harvest season teaches a city about patience
The olive year cannot be hurried, and neither can the slow work of keeping a community together.
Agriculture
The Nabali olive, and why growers prize it
The variety most common in the northern West Bank, and what its oil is worth.
Explained
Nabulsi soap, explained: olive oil, time and a city’s craft
How the soap is made, why it cures for weeks, and where it is sold.
Live
Harvest season begins across the northern West Bank
Families around Nablus and Jenin have begun picking.
Explained
The olive harvest, explained: when, where and how it works
The season, the varieties, the presses and the land, in one short guide.
Read the explainer