Israeli Rabbi Issues Ruling Permitting Settlers to Take Palestinian Olives

Rabbi Dov Lior, the former chief rabbi of the Kiryat Arba settlement and a prominent religious authority for the Israeli settler movement, has issued a religious ruling permitting Israeli settlers to harvest olives from Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank. Lior, known for his anti-Arab statements and his association with the Otzma Yehudit party led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, justified his ruling by claiming that Palestinians did not purchase the land from Jews and that ownership, according to his religious interpretation, remains with the Jewish people. He further argued that Palestinians unable to access their lands for harvesting due to security reasons are considered to have abandoned their crops, thus permitting settlers to seize them. Lior also stated that Palestinian farmers have already received sufficient compensation for their trees through past harvests. The rabbi described the settlers' olive harvesting as a religiously virtuous act that demonstrates Jewish ownership of the land and fulfills the "commandment to occupy the land." This ruling comes amid frequent attacks by settlers against Palestinian farmers, particularly during the olive harvest season, which include assaults and preventing access to fields, as well as crop seizure. The ruling was reported by "Yedioth Ahronoth" online.