I have heard that the Israeli army destroys olive trees belonging to Arabs. Could you confirm this for me, and if possible, find Israel's rationale. The Talmud expressly forbids the destruction of an enemy's olive trees.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
Israeli destruction of olive trees
What you have heard is correct. Although like you said the Talmud forbids this, and although there are many Israeli and international organizations that are calling against the destruction of olive trees, the uprooting of the ancient olive tree as a by product of war, is still occurring and it has had tremendous affects on the Palestinian agriculture, economy, and identity. Here is an excerpt from research I conducted on this matter, which can be found along with references in the following website:
http://www.american.edu/ted/ice/olive-tree.htm#r1
What is happening to the olive trees?
Uprooting/bulldozer policy
The Arab-Israeli conflict encompasses more than human casualties, it has created environmental disasters. One of these tragedies is the uprooting of the historic olive trees. The Israeli Defense Force has historically uprooted olive trees to “build settlements, expand roads and lay infrastructure,