Religious Decree and West Bank Harvest Violence
Prominent hardline Israeli Rabbi Dov Lior issued a religious ruling on Friday permitting settlers to take olives from Palestinian orchards across the occupied West Bank (Al Jazeera). Lior claimed that Palestinian landowners, who have been barred from accessing their groves due to military restrictions, were sufficiently compensated by consuming previous harvests, and asserted that picking the fruit demonstrates Jewish ownership of the land (ANews). The ruling went as far as classifying the theft of olives as an additional virtue, urging settlers to claim land far from established communities.
The decree coincided with a severe escalation in harvest-season violence. At least 19 people were injured across 34 attacks involving the Israeli military and settlers targeting Palestinians harvesting their crops. An American photojournalist working for The Washington Post was assaulted during the coverage, and five vehicles were torched amid restricted access and mounting dangers.
Religious and Political Condemnation
The ruling drew swift condemnation from various religious and political figures within Israel. Rabbis from the Gush Etzion settlements published an open letter denouncing the illegal harvesting as theft, blasphemy, and a moral defect. Additionally, Tzohar, an organization representing 800 orthodox rabbis, issued a statement declaring that only the state holds the authority to confiscate property, affirming that the olives legally belong to Arab owners as long as the state recognizes their title.
Knesset member Gilad Kariv of the left-wing Democrats Party sharply criticized Lior, accusing him and his followers of dragging the country into moral decay. Meanwhile, political analysts suggested that the pushback from other religious councils may be driven by government pressure to distance mainstream settlements from extremist fringe elements.
Political Stakes and Ideological Influence
Rabbi Lior maintains deep influence among hardline groups such as the Hilltop Youth and serves as the spiritual guide for the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Analysts note that Ben-Gvir relies heavily on Lior’s extreme religious interpretations, capitalizing on a growing political market for right-wing populism in the wake of the October 7 conflict.