Rabbi Fendel: 'As rabbis, it is our duty to talk politics'

Rabbis for Human Rights has filed a police complaint against Rabbi Dov Lior over his recent ruling permitting Jews to harvest olives from Palestinian groves. The complaint alleges incitement to racism, incitement to violence, and encouraging the theft of property. The organization's acting director, Anton Goodman, submitted the complaint on behalf of its 170 rabbinical members.

The dispute arises from Lior's argument that the land remains the property of the Jewish people, and that Palestinians prevented from harvesting could be presumed to have given up on the olives. Lior's ruling extends beyond groves near settlements, permitting Jews to harvest in more distant areas to assert Jewish ownership. However, rabbis opposing Lior's position argue that being prevented from harvesting does not mean owners have abandoned their property.

The Tzohar rabbinical organization has also rejected Lior's ruling, stressing that theft is prohibited regardless of the owner's religion.

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