Rabbi Permits Palestinians' Olive Harvest, Sparking Outrage

By עידן בלומהוף

Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba

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Hebrew · 8 newsrooms covering

Rabbi Dov Lior issued a religious ruling permitting Jewish settlers to harvest olives from Palestinian orchards in the West Bank, asserting Jewish ownership of the land. This ruling has sparked significant controversy, with other rabbis and politicians condemning it as theft and incitement. The Tzohar Rabbinical Organization and MK Gilad Kariv have strongly opposed Lior's opinion, with Kariv vowing to demand a police investigation into incitement charges.

The story in 5 lines · by baba

Rabbi Dov Lior ruled it permissible for Jewish settlers to harvest Palestinian olives in the West Bank.
Lior's ruling is contested by other rabbis and MK Gilad Kariv, who call it theft and incitement.
The controversy arises during the sensitive olive harvest season, with reports of violence.
MK Gilad Kariv will demand a police investigation into Rabbi Lior for incitement.
The ruling permits harvesting to assert Jewish ownership and fulfill a commandment.

Rabbi Permits Palestinians' Olive Harvest, Sparking Outrage — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

Rabbi Dov Lior, a prominent figure in Religious Zionism, has issued a religious ruling permitting Jewish settlers in the West Bank to harvest olives from Palestinian orchards. The ruling, which has ignited controversy, comes amid escalating tensions during the sensitive olive harvest season. This week, footage circulated globally allegedly showing Jewish assailants attacking Palestinians attempting to harvest their groves, with a Washington Post journalist also reportedly targeted.

Lior's ruling contrasts sharply with a recent opinion from rabbis of the Gush Etzion Religious Council, who prohibited Jewish individuals from harvesting olives from Arab-owned orchards near settlements. They argued that taking the fruit constituted severe theft, as the owners had not abandoned their property. Their proposed solution involved secure harvesting by Jewish workers or volunteers, with the yield returned to owners after covering expenses.

Rabbi Lior, considered the rabbi of the Otzma Yehudit party, contends that the land ultimately belongs to the Jewish people and that Palestinian owners have effectively abandoned their claim to the fruit, especially if security concerns prevent them from harvesting. He stated that harvesting the olives serves to assert Jewish ownership of the land and fulfill the commandment of conquering the land.

However, the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization strongly condemned Lior's ruling, emphasizing that theft is forbidden from any person, Jew or non-Jew. They asserted that only the state has the authority to expropriate property and that as long as the state recognizes Arab ownership, the olives remain theirs. They also noted that Lior himself had previously ruled that owners had not abandoned their property.

Member of Knesset and Rabbi Gilad Kariv also fiercely criticized Lior's decision, calling him "the chief rabbi of Sodom and Gomorrah" and accusing him of inciting theft and racism. Kariv announced that he would demand the police investigate Lior for incitement to commit a crime and incitement to racism, framing the upcoming elections as a choice between a Jewish and democratic state and violent, racist Jewish supremacy.