[Israel Decides that] Olive Picking in al-Haram al-Sharif Is Now a Crime for Palestinians... There are nearly 600 olive trees on the grounds of al-Aqsa Mosque, some of which are thousands of years old. The Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem, through the Zakat Committee, collects the olives from the trees, presses them, and distributes the oil to the poor in Jerusalem. No quantity of olives or the pressed oil from them is sold, despite a high demand for these olives from al-Aqsa Mosque, which the community considers blessed.

Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

 November 1, 2026

Khalil Assali

“The olive tree is a symbol of steadfastness and is the identity of Jerusalem and Palestine,” said Saadi Mahmoud,1 a resident of Haret al-Sa‘diyya near al-Aqsa Mosque. Saadi used to help pick olives from the trees on the mosque grounds every year, and was even able to keep some of those olives, which he cherished as blessed.

Speaking to Jerusalem Story, he said that a police officer warned him not to approach the olive trees on the grounds of al-Aqsa Mosque or he would be arrested. He adds, “I am astonished by this Israeli audacity that has completely changed the reality in al-Aqsa Mosque over the past years to the point where the police have complete control over the entire compound!”

The Old City of Jerusalem and its walls were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981, and the organization’s List of World Heritage in Danger in 1982. These designations cover all religious sites within the Old City, including al-Aqsa Mosque. They also cover the nature within and around these spaces, including the olive trees on the spacious mosque grounds. There are nearly 600 olive trees on the grounds of al-Aqsa Mosque, some of which are thousands of years old.2 The Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem, through the Zakat Committee, collects the olives from the trees, presses them, and distributes the oil to the poor in Jerusalem.3 No quantity of olives or the pressed oil from them is sold, despite a high demand for these olives from al-Aqsa Mosque, which the community considers blessed.

Picking Olives at al-Aqsa Mosque Is Now a Crime

These trees are an Islamic waqf, and no one can sell or buy them or their oil, says Sheikh Mazen Ahram, a former employee of the Waqf Department who has a Sufi corner on the mosque grounds.4 He added that many Palestinian Jerusalemite families used to come to participate in the olive harvest and would be able to take some home for their personal use; however, this stopped, because Israeli authorities forbid it.

According to Waqf Department figures made available to Jerusalem Story, more than 500 families used to register to receive three liters of olive oil from al-Aqsa Mosque after the olive harvest.

More than 500 families used to register to receive three liters of olive oil from al-Aqsa Mosque.

But this year, the situation was completely different, even dire, as experienced by Hajj Saeed Abdulrahman from the Palestinian village of Tamra in the Galilee. Every year, he visits al-Aqsa Mosque and picks a small amount of olives from its trees to take back to his village, considering them blessed.

Hajj Saeed was shocked recently when more than 10 Israeli police officers attacked and arrested him, while he was picking olives on the mosque grounds, confiscated his bag of olives, and took him to a police station near Bab al-Silsila. There he was issued a fine of NIS 5,000 for allegedly picking olives from a public area without prior permission from the authorities. Furthermore, he says, he has been banned from the grounds simply for picking olives, something he has done for years.... READ MORE  https://www.jerusalemstory.com/en/blog/olive-picking-al-haram-al-sharif-now-crime-palestinians

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