Prominent Israeli rabbi rules Jews may pick olives from Palestinian groves

Prominent Israeli rabbi Dov Lior announced on Friday that Jews are permitted to harvest olives from Palestinian-owned groves in the occupied West Bank, according to Haaretz. Lior argued that the land rightfully belongs to the Jewish people, asserting that publicly harvesting it serves as a demonstration of Jewish ownership and fulfills a religious obligation to conquer the land.

This ruling stands in contrast to a letter issued a week prior by six other Israeli rabbis, who declared that picking olives from Palestinian groves is forbidden as theft. The surge in settler attacks during the olive harvest has intensified, with Israeli rights group Yesh Din recording at least 170 incidents since September 27.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs highlighted the significance of these attacks, noting that access to agricultural land and livelihoods are central issues in Israeli settler violence. The humanitarian organization documented injuries to farmers and the destruction of hundreds of olive trees in several towns within the occupied West Bank.