Rabbi allows stealing Palestinian crops and water

December 7, 2009

GAZA, (PIC)-- The PA agriculture ministry has strongly condemned Sunday a new religious edict issued by a rabbi allowing Israeli settlers to steal Palestinian olive crops and to poison Palestinian water.

Mohsen Abu Eita, the ministry’s under-secretary for natural resources, asserted in a statement that Israeli rabbis permit the settlers to steal the Palestinian olive trees and crops alleging that the land that the Palestinians were cultivating belongs to the Jews.

Earlier, the fanatic rabbi Dov Lior, the chairman of the settlements’ council in the West Bank, allowed the settlers to poison the Palestinian livestock and water near their settlements.

According to Abu Eita, the Israeli settlers carry out the teachings of their rabbis in this regard perfectly as they usurp Palestinian crops and cattle, and poison Palestinian pastures on daily basis leading to the expiration of many farm animals.

Palestinian records, according to Abu Eita, show that the Israeli occupation troops destroyed more than 14,000 olive trees in the West Bank throughout the year in order to expand Israeli settlements.

In Gaza Strip, Abu Eita explained that nearly 173,000 olive trees were destroyed in addition to uprooting more than 20,000 dunums (1 dunum = 1000 sq. meter) during the war on Gaza gravely affecting at least 9,000 Palestinian farmers, and leading to 587 million dollars losses in agriculture and fisheries sectors in addition to water wells.

"These kinds of edicts, including edicts allowing the killing of Palestinian infants, reflect the Zionist racist mentality that allows stealing property of others without paying any attention to heavenly and earthly laws that oppose such edicts," he added.

In this regard, Abu Eita urged the Vatican, the UN, the UNICEF, and human rights organizations among other influential groups to immediately intervene to protect Palestinian farmers, especially in the West Bank.