Rabbi Dov Lior has issued a religious ruling permitting Israeli settlers to take olives from Palestinian orchards in the occupied West Bank, prompting condemnation from Israeli politicians and other Jewish religious leaders.
The hardline rabbi argued that Palestinian landowners prevented from reaching their crops by Israeli restrictions had already been adequately compensated during years when they were able to harvest. He said Jews could therefore pick the olives and claim ownership of the Palestinian land.
Lior described taking the olives as an “additional virtue” and urged settlers to “conquer the land” away from Jewish communities to demonstrate what he called Jewish ownership and fulfil a biblical commandment.
“The Jewish people have never given up on the Land of Israel, as we express in our prayers every single day,” the ruling said. “The Arabs never purchased the land from the Jewish people or from any individual Jew, and therefore it is stolen land in their hands.”
Violence during West Bank olive harvest
The ruling came as Palestinian farmers faced a fresh wave of attacks during the olive harvest. At least 19 people were injured in 34 incidents involving Israeli military personnel and settlers across the West Bank on Friday.
An American photojournalist working for The Washington Post was assaulted by settlers while reporting on the violence, while five vehicles were set alight.
Many Palestinian farmers have been unable to reach their orchards because of Israeli restrictions and the threat of attacks. The harvest season has become an annual flashpoint, with farmers facing difficulties accessing their crops.
The incidents come weeks before Israeli elections, amid efforts by far-right parties to attract support from settlers and their allies.
Religious leaders condemn olive ruling
Rabbis from the religious council of the Gush Etzion settlements said the unauthorised harvesting of Palestinian crops amounted to theft, blasphemy and a moral failing.
Tzohar, an organisation representing 800 Orthodox rabbis, said only the state had the authority to confiscate property. It added that, while the state recognised Arab ownership of the olives, they belonged to their Palestinian owners.
Mamoun Abu Amer, an analyst of Israeli politics, said the rejection by other rabbis could also serve political purposes by presenting Lior’s position as an isolated one.
He said the Israeli Government was seeking to portray settlers involved in attacks as a small group, particularly members of the so-called Hilltop Youth, rather than reflecting wider opinion in the settlements.
Lior is influential among hardline settler groups, including the Hilltop Youth, and is a prominent figure in Israel’s Religious Zionist movement. He is also described as a spiritual guide to the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Abu Amer said Mr Ben-Gvir relied on Lior’s religious rulings, which draw on biblical texts and the Book of Deuteronomy. He added that political rhetoric and social media campaigning had helped create what he called a “market for extremism” in Israeli society.
Gilad Kariv, a Knesset member for the left-wing Democrats Party, accused Lior and his supporters of leading Israel into what he called “a flood of moral vice”.
“Whoever stands on the sidelines in this issue joins the camp of Rabbi Dov Lior and his criminals,” Mr Kariv said.
