Palestinian Beekeepers
Hana’ Maaiah checking on the bees in one of Mohammed Alqurnah’s 7 hives in Bethlehem.
We recorded this interview in May 2025, before Israel’s bombing of Iran began which has made life for Palestinians in the nearby west bank extremely dangerous. As I am preparing this story to air at the end of June, one of our guests, Mohammed Alqurnah is texting me from Bethlehem in the West Bank, saying that intercepted pieces of rockets from Israel and Iran are falling all around his home, and there are no shelters that he, his children and extended family can go to for safety. I can only imagine how terrifying this must be for them, as I sit here in the safety of my own home. This reality along with the horrors that continue to occur to Palestinians since Oct 7th, and living under occupation for generations before that make clear that much of the world sees them as less than human. I recorded this story about beekeeping in Palestine to do a small part to uplift and humanize Palestinian people - to share both the harsh realities of life under occupation and the beautiful nature-connected elements of their culture and traditions.
Mohammed Alqurnah and Hana’ Maaiah on their way to visit other beekeepers and hives in the West Bank.
Hana’ Maaiah is a Farmer and Beekeeper of Jordanian and Palestinian descent I know through her work as the Farm Education & Programs Manager at Soul Fire Farm in upstate NY. She returned recently from a two month trip to the west bank to visit bee keepers and build community across borders. I asked if she would speak with us for this show, and she also connected me with her host and fellow beekeeper in the West Bank, Mohammed Alqurnah.
Mohammed is an agronomist and entomologist living in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem. He works for the Ministry of Agriculture, and has a particular passion for bees. He completed his PHD in Germany with a focus on Honey bees and the mites that live on them which often infect and destroy bee colonies. Mohammed tends bees at home, both for study and for honey to eat and barter. These two passionate beekeepers share about their love of these beautiful honey producing creatures, the realities of living and keeping bees under Israeli occupation, as well as the impacts of war, genocide and the climate crisis on bees - the pollinators we humans need to survive.
Mohammed and Hana’ met through a Palestinian Beekeepers workshop with Combcutters; a worker owned cooperative whose believes “we can teach anything through bees”. You can reach out to them to see if there are ways to directly support the Palestinian beekeepers they work with. To learn more and support Palestinian farmers and bee keepers check out the Palestinian Union of Agricultural Worker Committees and you can donate to support them here.
This interview was edited by Meg Dalton. Our theme song is from the Passion Hifi.
The Table Underground airs the 4th Monday of every month at 12pm eastern on WPKN community radio, 89.5 in Bridgeport, CT and is available by podcast anytime.
June 19, 2025
