Solidarity trees to commemorate Dead Sea victims

AMMAN — The tragic incident that took place near the Dead Sea recently prompted Mohammad Qutaishat and other volunteers to try and turn the agony and pain of those left behind into hope and dedication. 

Qutaishat, who is the project manager at the Arab Group for the Protection of Nature, said the group decided to hold an event on Friday to plant trees in commemoration of the souls of the people who lost their lives. 

A number of students were swept away by flashfloods in the hot springs area near the Dead Sea following torrential rain.

Qutaishat said that he and his peers wanted to mark this tragedy by holding a positive event that would benefit others. 

“This plot of land belonged to a farmer who could not afford to plant it, so we decided to plant his land with four different fruitful trees, which will allow him to meet his needs,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone. 

A total of 210 trees were planted on the land located in a village in central Ghor in Deir Alla. 

“We have an ongoing project that includes planting underprivileged families’ plots of land with fruitful trees starting each year from October until April. I do respect the events that were held in memory of the martyrs, but it is good to hold beneficial events that can both remember their souls and benefit others,” Qutaishat stated. 

Established in 2003, the Arab Group for the Protection of Nature has so far planted around 2.45 million trees in both Palestine and Jordan, according to its project manager.

Friday’s event also brought together a total of 20 volunteers, such as Maha Amro, who said she wanted to spread positive energy among Jordanians. 

“It is definitely sad what happened near the Dead Sea and we wanted to commemorate their souls. I noticed that this tragic incident resulted in a depressed atmosphere among many Jordanians who do want to move forward,” she stated, noting that a total of 10 trees were planted for each “martyr”. 

“I posted this event on my social media networks but people were depressed following the incident. So I wanted to participate to create hope,” Amro added. 

The volunteer said she felt a strong bond with each soul when she was planting the land. 

“I wanted to leave a smile on the face of this farmer and his land. Some of the deceased’s family members knew about our initiative and they were happy about the idea,” Amro concluded.