Houli El Mariam

The Olive Tree Houli El Mariam

We were unbreakable. We were strong, and we were resilient. Just like the olive tree.




Nisma is like any other 16-year-old. She goes to school, she fights with her brothers, and she loves her grandmother, Nazik. But, life for Nisma isn't as simple as boys and books: Nisma is an Islamic Palestinian in Israel, and her new friend, Hannah, is a Zionist.

When Hannah's mother is attacked and Nisma invites the pair to live in her family home, she has no idea of the chain of events that she has set in motion. What unfolds will show Nisma that in a country shrouded by corruption, bigotry and segregation, love and compassion is her best chance at survival.




A love letter to the Palestinian people, Mariam El Houli's The Olive Tree is a heartbreaking and gripping debut - a tale of friendship, strength and loss, and the fatal consequences systematic prejudice can have on a country's people.