A Tree Older Than the Conflict…. The olive tree has endured millennia on the hills of the Levant, its roots gripping the earth through drought, war, and shifting empires. A plant older than the contemporary conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, and yet it has become synonymous with it. Not merely a shrub, the olive is a cultural icon, an economic lifeline, a religious symbol, and, unfortunately, a victim of political strife....