Olive theft is just one component of Israel’s colonial structure

Observations have become the only way in which the UN feigns intervention against Israeli colonial violence. A recent press release published by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) noted the increased violence by Israeli settlers against farmers during the olive harvest.

The UN Special Rapporteurs who signed the press release described how preventing Palestinian farmers from accessing their land is resulting in economic hardships, displacing Bedouin and herding communities, and undermining Palestinian food sovereignty. It also noted that Israel altered its policy this year to prevent Palestinians from harvesting olives on land that has been classified as ‘State land’.

“The experts urged Israel to ensure that its forces protect Palestinian farmers from settler attacks, refrain from interference with their access to land and to comply with its obligations under international law,” the press release partly states. In a scenario that upholds international law, the statement might be observed. However, Israel has declared itself above international law, therefore there is no urgency for Israel to act accordingly, not with the international community, including the UN, normalising all of Israel’s international law violations.

Meanwhile, several news outlets have reported Israeli Rabbi Dov Lior issuing a religious ruling that justifies Israeli settlers stealing the Palestinian olive harvest. Calling Palestinian land stolen land from the Jewish people, Lior declared that stealing the Palestinian olive harvest was an “additional virtue”.

On land that Israel classified as state land, Lior said that “Jews are permitted to pick these olives to claim ownership of the Palestinian land.” According to Aljazeera, not all Jewish religious leaders heeded Lior’s call, and some issued statements condemning the ruling.

Rabbis for Human Rights filed a police complaint against Lior. “Entering others’ land and taking crops in violation of the law – that is not what God wants from us in this land,” acting director for the organisation Anton Goodman stated.

This, however, is just one component of Israel’s colonial character, and again deflects attention away from Israel. Entering Palestinian land and stealing crops is a violation of law, but how about the earlier violation of Palestinian territory that created Israel upon ethnically cleansed territory? Stealing olives is wrong, but so is colonialism.

Israel has created space for various types of colonial violence to thrive precisely due to its nature as a colonial enterprise. Extremism is visible for all to see, and it also serves Israel in two opposite ways: blaming extremist settlers for violence, while also embracing the extreme settlers for facilitating the colonial process. For Israel, there is always a balance to be found within extremism; it is only the Palestinian people who face the entire spectrum of colonial violence.

Addressing the fact that Israel allows such violations as an extension of itself is missing in complaints that take issue with one aspect of settler violence sanctioned by Israel, but not against Israel itself. If olive theft, as well as the damage done to olive groves by settlers eventually enables expropriation of Palestinian territory for Israel’s expansionist plans, which part of Israel can one leave out in condemnations?

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.