The key facts

  • Rabbi Dov Lior issued a religious ruling permitting settlers to take Palestinians' olives, according to Channel 13
  • Lior claims Palestinians do not own the land and have already 'received compensation' by consuming the fruit
  • The ruling also applies to lands far from settlements; attacks on farmers intensified in October

Rabbi Lior's Religious Ruling

Rabbi Dov Lior, one of the most influential religious authorities among Israeli settlers in the West Bank, issued a religious ruling on Friday permitting settlers to take olives from Palestinian lands. According to Israel's Channel 13, which published the text, Lior stated that harvesting the crop 'demonstrates Jewish ownership of the land.'

Reasoning Behind the Ruling

According to Lior, Palestinians do not own their land because they did not purchase it from the 'nation of Israel' or from any Jew, and he described the land as 'stolen property.' Citing Jewish religious law, he argued that ownership cannot pass through theft, so the land remains the property of the 'nation of Israel.' In his view, planting olive trees does not grant Palestinians rights to the land or the harvest, and he called the consumption of the fruit in previous years the 'compensation' for the planting. According to Anadolu, the ruling applied not only to lands near settlements but also to Palestinian territories far from them.

Context of the Harvest Season

The ruling came amid an escalation of settler violence against Palestinians and their property, especially during the olive harvest season, which peaks in October. According to the agency, attacks intensified this month: farmers are beaten, barred from their lands, trees are damaged, and crops are stolen. Palestinian, Israeli, and international human rights organizations accuse Israeli authorities of failing to stop settler violence and hold perpetrators accountable. Settlements on occupied Palestinian land are considered illegal under international law, and Palestinians defend their rights to the land.