Jordan Valley. October 31, 2025. Two minibuses. About thirty participants. Four of them journalists. And me.
The trip was promoted by Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR), a leftist organization, as an important way to help Palestinian Arab farmers harvest their olives while providing a "protective presence."
The harvest never happened. RHR knew beforehand it wouldn't. They took us anyway.
A Stage, Not a Harvest
Ayman, a member of the farming family, delivered what he called "three messages." He spoke in Arabic, an RHR Palestinian coordinator translated to Hebrew, and an RHR staff member translated to English.
Three languages. One prepared narrative:
- Checkpoint equals humiliation.
- Olive trees equal heritage and theft.
- "Settler" violence and impunity.
What he said: He said that "settlers" burned trees, destroyed irrigation, and brought cows to the grove to damage the trees. He claimed the nearby Jewish farm was an illegal outpost run by Moshe Sharvit.
His conclusion: "In my opinion, Israel has become worse than any Arab dictatorship."
What I saw: no burned trees, mostly healthy trees, a few broken branches, disconnected irrigation pipes, and one cowpat. Documents show the Sharvit farm on state land with regional council permission. The Palestinian Arab grove is in Area B under Palestinian Authority (PA) civil control.
RHR told us there were no olives to harvest because of the "settlers".
But this season has been terrible for olive growers across the entire region - Israel and the PA. Israeli farmers told me they had half the yield of last year or less. It's also early days. One Palestinian Arab farmer hosting volunteers from another group told them not to return because "there is nothing to pick."
An RHR staff member addressed the group: "The point is not only to pick olives. The point is to show support."
Ayman had already said the same thing when we first arrived: "We know it seems strange; we wake up in the morning, travel all the way here, and there is not much work to do. But the important thing today is not whether you pick olives. It is that you are here, that you show support."
No buckets. No tarps. Cameras running.
CNN Was There
Four foreign journalists filmed everything: two from CNN and freelancers from Spain and Italy.
Days later, CNN aired a segment combining footage from a different sites and a different day, edited to imply that violence occurring on that other occasion happened the day the reporter was with us.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQnVZLZDA-M/?igsh=MTJwd3hpdTRueDR4dw==
The reporter's voice: "So this is where you were attacked?" Past tense. He wasn't there during any attack. He filmed a walkthrough afterward.
Then CNN cut to the grove where I stood: "Broken branches, trees dried out, and no olives to be harvested."
Accurate about the olives. Ignored the reason. False about the violence.
Two locations, two timelines, merged into one dramatic package.
The reporter narrated our visit: "He's explaining that the cows came here to graze on these olive trees basically, and this is one of the ways in which settlers have come to try and disrupt the livelihood of Palestinian Arabs."
CNN presented this as established fact. I heard the claim about cows. The damage looked consistent with grazing. But does grazing affect trees? Was it deliberate destruction by "settlers" or livestock being livestock?
CNN didn't observe it. Neither did I. And that day there were no cows to be seen whichever direction I looked.
CNN didn't verify. They packaged.
The Elderly Mother Speaks
We moved toward a small structure with a kitchenette and bathroom, piles of old clothing inside. Activists said this was the family's home, abandoned because of "settler" intimidation.
An elderly woman in traditional dress spoke in Arabic, her voice shaking:
"For two years, I could not come here. They closed the whole area. Moshe and others came and brought their cars and caravans and closed off the whole area. We were afraid, so we left the land. We locked our car because we were afraid Moshe would block us. They destroyed the cameras we put here. They entered with their animals into our land. There is no law. No one protects us."
Then: "The 'settler' does not want life. The human wants life."
Nobody in the activist group asked for clarification. Nobody asked follow-up questions. No one asked to speak to Moshe. I did not question her emotional experience, but I did decide to verify the accusations presented as fact.
What I Noticed
I walked around the building. Found intact cameras still in place on the other side.
Were the two broken cameras in the farmer's hands taken down by "settlers", while these others remained untouched, or did they break by some other means?
Next to the access road sat a younger olive grove with small, healthy trees and functioning irrigation lines. I asked if that also belonged to the Shukris.
I think I was the only one who asked.
Back home, I contacted the relevant authorities. Did Sharvit or other Jewish farmers in the region raise cows? Did Palestinian Arabs nearby? Did the family live in that structure or did it function as a seasonal shelter? Had the family actually been prevented from entering their land since October 7th? Was that small olive grove the only plot worked by the Shukri family?
The spokesperson told me the authority is studying my questions and will respond.
There was no indication that CNN asked these questions before uploading their report.
What Was Real
The farmers are real. But participants on this visit were not there to harvest.
They were there to accuse. To document. To create footage.
No buckets. No tarps. No olives.
But cameras running. Messages delivered. Narrative packaged.
And CNN broadcast it as news.
Sheri Oz is a jounalist and writer whose articles have appeared on Arutz Sheva, JPost,TOI, Haaretz, JPress and more. Website: Israel Diaries / Substack Writings.
Post script: An olive grove owned by Jews destroyed by Palestinian Arabs. Not seen on CNN:
