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How a Palestinian park surrounded by settlements is promoting organic farming

A Palestinian family has turned the site of an old house into an organic farm and a park for visitors to enjoy the beauty of the land, despite the site being in close proximity to Israeli settlements and checkpoints.
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Hosh al-Yasmine park is located on a hilltop overlooking Wadi al-Makhrour between Bethlehem and Beit Jala in the West Bank, in an area with many Israeli settlements and checkpoints. The park's visitors marvel at the details of the place, from furniture and decor to the food it serves. The sunsets are especially spectacular.

Hosh al-Yasmine is located on 36 dunams (9 acres) of land in the middle of the park in a house dating back to the 1940s. Since 2011, the Saadeh family has been renting the house from its owner — who left the area and settled in nearby Beit Jala — and has turned it into an organic farm and park, offering traditional foods with organic crops and meat.

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