We are pleased to invite you, on behalf of Erik Ader, to the event in which 1,100 olive trees will be planted. These trees are donated by former ambassador of the Netherlands Erik Ader, to honour his father, the Reverend Bastiaan Jan Ader, and make an appeal for justice. The planting followed by a special ceremony will be held on Sunday 20 November in Far'ata, Palestine.

Protecting Palestinian land
Over one million olive trees belonging to Palestinians have been uprooted by the Israeli governments since the state of Israel was founded in 1948. On the West Bank olive trees are continuously under attack. Palestinian farmers lose their olive trees and land for the building and expansion of Israeli settlements, roads to connect the settlements with each other and Israel, and the Separation Wall. All these activities are illegal under international law, as an occupying power is not allowed to move its citizens into occupied territory and the Wall has been built on Palestinian land instead of on the Green Line. When trees are uprooted the land is no longer cultivated, which is then being used by Israel to confiscate the land through an old Ottoman law that turns uncultivated Palestinian land into Israeli state land. By keeping the land cultivated Israel cannot use this law for land confiscation. By donating 1,100 trees in his father's name, to be planted in the Palestinian village of Far’ata in the Qalqilia governorate, Erik Ader helps to protect Palestinian land against such confiscation and to keep hope alive.

1,100 trees for the Reverend Bastiaan Jan Ader
The Reverend Bastiaan Jan Ader lost his life while working for justice, rescuing two to three hundred Jewish people, other people in hiding and pilots during the Second World War. For this work the Jewish National Fund (JNF) planted 1,100 pine trees in the name of Bastiaan Jan Ader on top of the Palestinian village of Bayt Nattif, to cover up its existence. Erik Ader wants to set the record straight and undo this injustice. His father gave his life for justice and protecting human rights, while the planting of 1,100 trees by the JNF stands for the exact opposite of that. It represents injustice as it denies a people's existence, rights, life and property. The 20th of November commemorates the date of the execution of the Reverend Bastiaan Jan Ader by the Nazi's in 1944 for his large scale rescuing of Jewish compatriots during the Holocaust.

Sunday, 20 November 2016
The planting of the last batch of the 1,100 olive trees will start at 10:00h and will finish around 11:30h. The ceremony, with various speeches and music, will start around 12:00h (noon). After the ceremony there will be lunch for which you can register by sending an e-mail to Muhanad Qaisy, coordinator of the Olive Tree Campaign: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Registration is required as places are limited. The event finishes at 15:00h.

Olive Tree Campaign & Plant een Olijfboom foundation
The Olive Tree Campaign has planted over 125.000 since the start of the campaign and is very pleased Erik Ader contacted its Dutch partner, Plant een Olijfboom (Plant an Olive Tree foundation), to seek justice for the trees originally planted in his father’s name on top of a Palestinian village. Launched in 2002, the JAI' Olive Tree Campaign distributes olive saplings among farmers, sponsored by individuals and organisations around the world, as an act of solidarity and support to help 'Keep Hope Alive’. Plant een Olijfboom works in the Netherlands and envisions a just peace with equality for all in Palestine and Israel, including Palestinian refugees, by supporting Palestinian farmers and raising awareness. So far more than 20,000 trees have been sponsored by Dutch supporters.

For more information and registration, please contact Muhanad Qaisy, coordinator of the Olive Tree Campaign at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Olive Tree Campaign: http://www.jai-pal.org/en/campaigns/olive-tree-campaign
Plant een Olijfboom foundation: www.planteenolijfboom.nl/english 

Kind regards,

Muhanad Qaisy - Olive Tree Campaign in Palestine
Esther de Bruin - Plant een Olijfboom foundation in the Netherlands