Rabbi Dov Lior Permits Olive Across West Bank
Translated & summarized from NEWSru Israel by baba
Rabbi Dov Lior has ruled that Jews are permitted to harvest olives from groves across Judea, Samaria, and Benjamin, even those distant from settlements. He bases this on Jewish historical ownership of the land and the idea that absent owners forfeit their fruit. This contradicts a ruling by seven other rabbis who forbid such harvesting, deeming it theft. Rabbi Lior sees the act as asserting Jewish sovereignty and fulfilling a biblical commandment.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Rabbi Dov Lior permits Jews to harvest olives throughout Judea, Samaria, and Benjamin.
- Lior argues Jewish historical ownership justifies harvesting absent Arab owners' crops.
- His ruling applies to groves far from Jewish settlements.
- Seven other rabbis in Gush Etzion oppose this, calling it theft.
- Rabbi Yaakov Ariel previously suggested returning harvested olives to owners.
Rabbi Dov Lior, a prominent figure in religious Zionism, has issued a ruling permitting Jews to harvest olives from groves throughout Judea, Samaria, and Benjamin. This permission extends to groves located far from Jewish settlements. Rabbi Lior asserts that the land of Eretz Yisrael inherently belongs to the Jewish people, and that Arab claims to ownership were never legally acquired from Jews. He believes Israel's ownership rights to these lands remain valid.
Rabbi Lior distinguishes between land ownership and the status of its produce. He argues that if the original planters cannot harvest their olives due to security concerns, they can be considered to have relinquished their rights to the fruit, making it permissible for others to collect. He also suggests that any compensation due to the planters for their labor has already been received through past harvests.
This ruling follows a differing opinion from seven rabbis in Gush Etzion and surrounding areas. They stated that Jews are forbidden from harvesting olives in Arab groves, even if the owners cannot access them due to security restrictions. These rabbis believe such situations do not create a halachic basis to consider the harvest ownerless, and harvesting it could constitute theft and desecrate God's name.
They referenced an earlier position by Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, who proposed that harvests could be collected by Jewish workers or volunteers and then returned to the Arab owners. Rabbi Lior concluded by emphasizing that his permission also applies to groves distant from Jewish settlements. He views such harvesting not only as permissible but as a public expression of Jewish sovereignty and an act of fulfilling the commandment to settle and hold the Land of Israel.
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