Ismael Hedra has been working for the Green Olive Collective since 2013, and was appointed a Partner and Transport Manager in 2015. His family are long-time residents of Jerusalem/al Quds, and he, his father and grandfather were all born on the Mount of Olives. Further back his ancestral routes are nearby in the south Hebron hills. Ishmael still lives on the Mount of Olives with his wife and five children; Ibrahim, Donia, Sarah, Khadigah and Mohammed. Ismael knows this region’s twists and turns better than anyone, and takes care of all the logistics required for moving hundreds of people every month around Israel and Palestine. Due to Green Olive’s reach – and the political environment in which we operate – checkpoints, military restrictions, Border closures, permission permits etc – Ismael overcomes many challenges that transportation managers in other countries do not have to deal with.
That is not to say that he accepts the status quo of the occupation. But through his peace-building work with Green Olive Ismael treats everyone with dignity and respect. He speaks Arabic, Hebrew and English and has raised five children to always consider others as equals. When not working for Green Olive he can be found reading history books or doing work around the house.

If you join us for a tour you are likely to run into Ishmael one way or another. He is usually the first one up in the morning and the last one back home as he makes sure all of our guests are ferried safely from one point to another. He is never far from his trusty Mercedes van and always appreciates a friendly “السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ” (As-salāmu ʿalaykum) from his many Green Olive guests.