Appeased Landscapes – a project in political imagination
An end to the conflict might be far from eye’s reach, yet it is worth imagining. It is not solely a matter for politics. The Israeli landscape has been shaped to support the Zionist settlement enterprise through forestry and agro-industry projects, so that it would match the image of the Jewish state that was founded, as they wished to believe, on terra nullius. Over the years, landscape architecture has greatly contributed to the image of ’empty’ land and has concealed what remained of the Arab settlements through various means. A landscape of shared life would have to be different; what used to be empty will have to be perceived as emptied. It begs the question, what is the role of landscape architecture in a process of reconciliation, and what tools does the profession have at its disposal to imagine new landscapes?
Today, the Carmel ridge is home to a green swath of forests and nature reserves. In its center is Ofer Forest, a JNF forest of approximately 1000 hectares. Through the generic coniferous canopy emerge three missing elements: agriculture, Palestinian heritage, and the gazelle – both as entity and as symbol. Renewing the landscape typologies specific to the mountain, including agriculture, will make room for the story of the three depopulated villages that lie beneath, and their connection to the land. By 1948, Ijzim, Jab’a, and ‘Ayn Ghazal were populated by 6,500 Palestinians. Three trails offer other views through their ruins.
The project proposes a reading of the current landscape based on historical documentation and mapping, aiming to establish a sense of the remains already in place, amplify their voices, and create a background for understanding and reconciliation. On the ruins of Ein Ghazal, the restoration of the vineyards and orchards will enable a new economy between Jewish and Palestinian communities around sustainable agriculture, a space for layered narratives, and above all, a way to experience the unique phenomena of Mount Carmel.
