Tzohar Rabbis Reject Taking Olives Without Owners’ Permission

Tzohar’s rabbis said Friday that olives may not be taken from their owners without permission, responding to a ruling by Rabbi Dov Lior about Arab-owned groves in Judea and Samaria. The organization argued that military restrictions on access do not establish that owners have relinquished their crop when they continue to claim it and intend to harvest under arrangements the army permits. Its rabbis said authority to expropriate property belongs to the state. They added that individuals cannot invoke security considerations to take property on their own.