Could this tree planting scheme bring down Israel's prime minister?

Planting trees is not usually a controversial activity, especially in the eco-conscious twenty-first century. But as ever, the rules are different where Israel is concerned, and government sanctioned forestation is currently threatening to tear apart the country’s delicately balanced coalition government.

As is often the case in the region, the problem lies in competing claims over who owns the land where the trees are being planted. Bedouins in Israel’s southern Negev region insist that the Jewish National Fund (JNF) is planting trees in their land, whereas the state claims ownership of the same territory.

There was a time when the iconic JNF charity box could be found in many a Jewish diaspora home. Jews outside Israel have long given money to the fund, often to support the planting of trees in the holy land to mark birthdays, anniversaries and Barmitzvahs. Indeed, Israel is one of the only nations in the world that entered the current century with more trees than it had in the last.