Its shade is older than the occupation…
On the outskirts of Hebron, in the Al-Buweirah area, Dr. Sofian Sultan Al-Tamimi (77) stands beneath a grapevine that has lived for over a century.
He looks up at its sprawling branches and says:
“This tree is older than the occupation… it might be the oldest grapevine in Palestine.”
He inherited it from his father and grandfather, along with the family’s story and connection to the land.
Its shade stretches over twenty-five meters, producing up to two hundred kilograms of grapes each season.
It survived the 2013 “Alexa Blizzard,” which destroyed most trees over 150 years old, standing as a witness to a time that has not passed.
Despite his long years in academia and his official positions, he has never closed the farm gate.
Every day he returns to plant and care for it, believing that every new branch is resistance, and every fruit tells a story.
He insists, “I will not give up,” even after settlers attacked the farm and cut down more than a hundred grapevines.
Sofian says:
“I felt as if my children were martyred… every tree was a piece of my soul.”
Yet he continues to farm.
Like the land itself, he falls and rises again, walking his path with this ancient vine…
A green shade, roots that never leave, and a Palestinian story that will not die
