Gush Etzion Rabbis Rule Against Harvesting Arab Olives Near Settlements
Translated & summarized from Arutz Sheva by baba
Six West Bank settlement rabbis and the Chairman of the Religious Council have ruled it forbidden for Jews to harvest olives from nearby Arab groves, even if security prevents owners from accessing them. The ruling states that harvesting constitutes theft and desecrates God's name, rejecting the idea that owners have abandoned the crops. The decision references a similar ruling by Rabbi Yaakov Ariel from the First Intifada era.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Six West Bank settlement rabbis ruled it forbidden for Jews to harvest olives from nearby Arab groves.
- The ruling applies even when security concerns prevent Arab owners from accessing their orchards.
- Rabbis stated that harvesting the olives constitutes theft and desecrates God's name.
- The ruling rejects the argument that owners have abandoned their crops due to restricted access.
- The decision references a similar ruling by Rabbi Yaakov Ariel from the First Intifada.
- The rabbis warned of desecration of God's name if observant Jews harvest the olives.
Six rabbis from settlements in the Gush Etzion area of the West Bank, along with Rafi Ostroff, Chairman of the Religious Council, have issued a halachic ruling stating that it is forbidden for Jews to harvest olives from Arab-owned groves located near settlement fences. This ruling applies even in cases where the grove owners are prohibited from accessing their orchards due to security concerns.
The rabbis addressed the argument that preventing access leads owners to abandon their crops, thus permitting others to harvest them. They explicitly rejected this notion, stating that the behavior of the Arab owners indicates they have not given up on their olives, especially since some Jews are willing to harvest them on behalf of the owners. Furthermore, the ruling clarifies that even if abandonment were a factor, olives still attached to the ground and belonging to a non-Jew do not become ownerless.
The ruling emphasizes that harvesting these olives constitutes theft, citing a clear halachic prohibition against stealing from non-Jews, even idol worshippers. Beyond the prohibition of theft, the rabbis warned of the desecration of God's name that occurs when observant Jews engage in such actions, both in the eyes of other Jews and non-Jews.
In their decision, the rabbis referenced a similar ruling by Rabbi Yaakov Ariel during the First Intifada, when access to areas near settlements was restricted for security reasons. Rabbi Ariel had previously written that non-Jews had not abandoned their olive crops and suggested that to prevent desecration of God's name, harvesting should be permitted through Jewish workers or volunteers, with the yield then returned to the owners after covering expenses, provided it did not pose a security risk.
The ruling was signed by the rabbis of Alon Shvut (Ze'ev Whitman), Rosh Tzurim and head of the Siach Yitzchak Yeshiva (Uri Lifshitz), Tekoa (Avi Blidstein), Kfar Etzion (Moshe Shapeter), Metzad (Yisrael Goldstein), and Elazar (Chaim Eiram).
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