The Atlas of Ertas

I've been doing a lot of exploring in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, ever since I moved to a plush neighborhood in the Western half of Israel's capital. The most recent excursion was to Ertas, one of the most ancient villages in the West Bank whose farming culture is facing a dual challenge: both the Israeli settlements at its edge, and locals who can't be bothered to tend their fields.

To learn more about Ertas, I called up Awad Abu Sway. He grew up farming with his father and seven brothers and sisters. Today he works for the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture in the ironic title of Coordinator of the Wall and Settlements. But what takes up nearly all his time is his volunteer work in rounding up local farmers and delivering free labor, tools and saplings to their fields. The idea, Abu Sway says, is to work the fields before they can be swallowed by Israeli settlements. He's in a race with time, and trees are his weapon.