Forage for Peace in Palestine and Israel.

I will be foraging for peace in Palestine and Israel.

I’ll be living on locally foraged foods for a week to raise funds for the situation in Gaza and in promotion of a peaceful resolution.

I’m a herbalist and wilderness therapist living in Scotland. As the catastrophic situation in Palestine-Israel spiralled into new levels of madness in October I found myself wondering how my particular skills could be put to use in service of the people suffering in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel. Could I provide free consultations in herbal medicine and therapy sessions? How could such services be made available and are they even appropriate in the moment of crisis? What role could I play in addressing the trauma that perpetuates the cycle of violence? These possibilities seem contingent upon a permanent ceasefire that the power’s that be appear to have little interest in. Like so many I feel powerless, not even able to participate in protests due to my remote location in the Highlands.  Here I and my family are about as safe as any human can be anywhere. I have been reading about the desperate food situation imposed by the Israeli government upon the people of Gaza and their resorting to eating grasses and animal feed. I’ve also been alarmed at the on-going “ecocide” and the war against the natural world, for which war-mongers have no regard. Heart-wrenched my imagination started playing out; what would it be like to import this conflict to my own local environment. As a herbalist I gather some of my own medicinal plants and so began thinking about how well I would fare if restricted to the wild foods I could find at this time of year within walking distance of my home. I’ve decided to undertake a challenge in order to raise awareness on this humanitarian issue as well as the on-going deliberate destruction of the ecosystems of Gaza and the West Bank. My plan is to do a sponsored challenge to eat only from locally harvested plants as well as resources harvestable from the intertidal zone (seaweed and shellfish) for at least one week. My wife and children will join me for part of the time.

I want to provide donations to a few organisations that are playing what I see as key roles in the humanitarian and peace effort. For me this entails supporting a medical organisation working within Gaza (Palestinian Red Crescent), a Palestinian environmental organisation (To be determined) , a human rights organisation within Israel (B’Tselem), and an organisation in the US working towards Peace and countering the prevailing notion that Jews worldwide are pro-Israel, pro-Zionism and pro-war (Jewish Voices for Peace). 

I have created a page to receive and distribute donations (https://www.gofundme.com/f/owens-forage-for-peace-in-palestine) and am hoping that you can help share my effort with your subscribers and on your social media network. I will be releasing some daily content on my experience.

I am also inviting other’s dedicated to wildcrafting medicinal and edible plants to spread the word and even to join me in my foraging for Gaza challenge.