Whose trees are these?

While running to a meeting in Rehovot the other day, I was stunned to see that the streets of this city are lined with orange trees.  No, I don't mean trees that are colored orange... but rather lush green trees whose branches are literally sagging under the weight of the most beautiful oranges you've ever seen.  I was kicking myself for not having my digital camera with me.  In fact, when I got back to my office and googled 'Rehovot', I found that the city's seal features... you guessed it:  Oranges!

 

In other aspects, Rehovot is very similar in layout and architecture to other 'older' Israeli cities.  The main street is lined with the kind of stores and restaurants that exist in nearly every large Israeli community.  The drab apartment buildings crowd the center of the city, and in the distance one can see the groves and agricultural fields from which the population centers originally sprang.

But I'm intrigued by the decision to line the main streets with fruit trees.  This raises several questions in a newcomer's mind:

1.  To whom does the fruit belong?

2.  Can anyone pick the fruit as they walk down the street?

3.  Does the city pick the fruit and sell it?

4.  Do the local fruit and vegetable stands bother trying to sell oranges?

5.  What happens to the fruit that doesn't get picked?

I'd like to think that the oranges that are grown within the city limits are there for the taking... and I'll be very disappointed if I find out otherwise.  Can you imagine the tragic irony if even one child in Rehovot suffers from a lack of vitamin C? 

Anyway, if anyone knows more about this interesting phenomenon, I would welcome your insights.