Anan Al-Nasser

The Director of the Nablus Agriculture Directorate, Engineer Wajdi Al-Kakhn, and Mr. Khaled Yassin, Mayor of Asira al-Shamaliya, praised the role and efforts of the CSC at An-Najah National University in guiding students toward meaningful community activities. These efforts provide essential support for the Ministry and Directorate’s initiatives in Nablus to expand green spaces and rehabilitate forests at no cost, as community service students prepare no fewer than a thousand seedlings every Saturday as part of the CSC course.

The collaboration between the CSC, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Asira al-Shamaliya Municipality, and other institutions aims to protect lands from confiscation, prevent soil erosion, increase green spaces, foster biodiversity, encourage public visits and outdoor engagement, raise student awareness, and strengthen their connection to the land through purposeful national values that promote sustainable and creative resilience while enhancing the spirit of peaceful popular resilience.

The CSC at An-Najah National University has played a crucial role in providing the Nablus Agriculture Directorate with student volunteers. These students have been able to achieve results in a short period of time that would be difficult for the Directorate alone, through programs designed to benefit the Palestinian community.

Engineer Wajdi Al-Kakhn, Director of the Agriculture Directorate in Nablus, stated, “Without the efforts of An-Najah University, its administration, the CSC, Professor Bilal Salameh, and the student volunteers, we would not have achieved what we have in such a short time.”

Engineer Al-Kakhn highlighted that the involvement of student volunteers alongside the directorate has been key to the success and progress of Nablus’ greening initiatives. Students assist with initial germination and seedling preparation, filling planting bags, completing the final planting process, and helping with digging and planting seedlings.

He added that this partnership is both significant and essential. Every Saturday, events are organized where 30 to 80 students participate, each preparing roughly 200 seedling bags for forest and agricultural planting. This results in a weekly output of approximately a thousand seedlings.

The Director of Agriculture in Nablus emphasized that this support is crucial for the directorate, which has only three staff members. These voluntary efforts save considerable time, labor, and money while producing thousands of seedlings each month, reflecting the CSC’s role in community development.

He further detailed that CSC students, in collaboration with the directorate, contributed significantly to planting and greening around 50 dunams of the Askar forest, which spans 85

dunams, with plans to complete the greening of the entire area located in the eastern part of the city.

The director added that the students’ efforts extend beyond the directorate to the rehabilitation and greening of other forests, such as the forests of Asira al-Shamaliya, where they helped green approximately 45 dunams. Preparations are underway to rehabilitate the Al-Makhfiya Forest and the Yasser Arafat Martyr Forest.

He also noted that this month, the focus of the students’ work will include assisting farmers with olive harvesting, particularly in areas threatened with land confiscation or located near settlements under occupation.

Al-Kakhn expressed his gratitude to An-Najah National University, its President Professor Maher Al-Natsha, Professor Bilal Salameh, CSC Director, and the students of the CSC course for their continuous cooperation. He affirmed that the partnership will continue, with upcoming planting activities in the Al-Nasariya area, the Samit Plain, and university-owned lands.

Distinctive Mark

The Mayor of Asira al-Shamaliya, Mr. Khaled Yassin, confirmed that the CSC, its students, and volunteers have contributed to a transformative shift in greening and agriculture, particularly in the Al-Harsh area, where they planted about 50 dunams.

Yassin emphasized that cooperation continues, especially with the establishment of a CSC branch in Asira al-Shamaliya, which has left a positive impact across community initiatives. He commended the university and CSC for their practical and purposeful approach.

Peaceful Popular Resilience

Professor Bilal Salameh, Director of the CSC, highlighted the center’s pioneering role in assisting with Nablus’ greening initiatives and supporting the Ministry of Agriculture and municipalities.

Professor Salameh emphasized that the objectives include strengthening the principle of community service through action, not just words, greening the land, transforming barren areas into parks and woodlands that foster biodiversity, increasing students’ connection to their land, and reducing the confiscation of uncultivated areas. These efforts collectively embody the concept of peaceful popular resilience.