GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian farmers harvest cucumbers in the southern Gaza Strip in the early morning hours. Islam al-Nuweiri, a Gazan farmer and merchant, will export them to Israel, where the Israeli authorities allowed, for the first time in February, the import of new types of vegetables from Gaza to meet the Israeli market’s needs during Shmita, the Sabbath year.
Every seven years, during the year of Shmita, observant Jews refrain from eating vegetables and fruits that are sowed and harvested in their own lands. Instead, they are permitted to eat crops from non-Jewish land. Jewish law prohibits farming, planting, plowing, pruning and harvesting during Shmita, which started on Sept. 7, 2021.
During Shmita, the land is left to rest and no agricultural activity is allowed. Other techniques such as irrigation, fertilization, weeding, spraying and mowing can be used as a preventive measure, but not to improve growth. Any fruits or herbs that grow on their own can be donated to the poor.
Nuweiri, one of the biggest exporters of vegetables from the Gaza Strip, was happy to hear about the latest Israeli decision, because he will now be able to export new types of vegetables to Israel this year, unlike previous Shmita years during which he was only able to export vegetables to the West Bank and the Gulf states.
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