Beyond the ongoing terror attacks carried out by Palestinians and Israel’s Arab population, a growing form of agricultural terrorism threatens Jewish farmers. From assaults on Jewish shepherds and beekeepers to the destruction of fields and Hamas-backed olive-tree-planting campaigns, this silent war aims to undermine Israel’s agricultural presence.
In the heart of the northern part of the Western Galilee, between the Montfort Fortress and the serene blue shores of the Sea of Galilee lies the small settlement of Manot. Its residents sustain themselves through tourism and agriculture, primarily vegetable farming and honey production.
Situated just beyond Israel’s northern border communities, Manot’s residents weren’t evacuated like those on the front lines. But tourism has vanished, and missile attacks and bombardments from Lebanon have taken their toll. As if the hardships of war weren’t enough, another battle rages in silence, one that rarely makes headlines. In the agricultural areas surrounding Manot there is an ongoing conflict between the settlers and the residents of nearby Arab villages, who routinely harass them and threaten their livelihood.
Chaim Perry, a veteran winter vegetable farmer, rose early one morning, as he always does, to tend to his fields. But when he arrived at his greenhouses, he was met with havoc. Someone had slashed the plastic coverings over his crops and stolen all of his irrigation and drip equipment.
“They took equipment worth hundreds of thousands of shekels,” he says. “The financial loss is enormous, but what’s worse is the deliberate destruction. This wasn’t just theft, it was sabotage, meant to force us out so they can seize the land. If the devastation of the war wasn’t enough, this is even worse.”
The residents of Manot also run the Flowers of the Galilee factory, home to one of Israel’s largest apiaries, which is managed by Noga Reuveni. But their Arab neighbors have repeatedly stolen beehives and vandalized them. A few years ago the entire apiary was set on fire, destroying the building, equipment, honey and supplies, damage that was estimated in the millions. After the apiary was rebuilt, the thefts resumed.
“Agricultural crime is a serious issue,” Perry says. “The police do little, and even when criminals are caught indictments are rare and the courts hand down lenient sentences. The state must recognize this for what it is: terrorism. Agricultural terrorism causes massive economic damage and leaves farmers helpless victims.”
Years of Neglect
Farmers like those in Manot are just some of the many people struggling under the weight of agricultural crime. But crime is only part of the battle. Farming in Israel today is nearly a lost cause. Agriculture is becoming an endangered profession as making a living from the land grows increasingly difficult.
Farming demands relentless dedication: waking at odd hours, toiling day and night, all in the hope that the soil will yield its reward. Even then, crops remain at the mercy of the elements, and whatever little profit is earned is swallowed by retail chains. Every tomato on a supermarket shelf carries the unseen cost of sweat, struggle and sacrifice.
It’s no wonder that more and more fields are being abandoned, sold to real estate developers and land speculators.
But those farmers who refuse to abandon their land face an even greater battle: the unchecked wave of agricultural terrorism sweeping through Israel, especially in Judea and Samaria.
Yehuda, a cattle rancher and wheat farmer from Moshav Yavne’el, has been repeatedly targeted. Vandals tore down his fences in 12 places and stole calves, some of which were later found slaughtered and dumped across his fields. When he reported the crimes to the police and named the suspects, he suffered brutal retaliation: His trees were uprooted, and his newly sown wheat fields were torched.
Oren, a fruit grower and vineyard owner in the region, has suffered massive losses as well. First, thieves made off with enormous quantities of avocados. Then, during the summer, they raided his vineyards, stripping entire clusters of wine grapes. “They caused me hundreds of thousands of shekels in damage,” he says. “They just pulled up with pickup trucks, loaded everything and disappeared.”
One of the most recent and alarming incidents took place in one of Israel’s oldest settlements—Nahalal, in the Jezreel Valley—at the farm of Yesh Atid MK Ram Ben-Barak.
Aharon Ben-Barak, who helped found Nahalal nearly a century ago, established a dairy farm that became one of the first of its kind. But a year ago it became a target of relentless harassment. Then disaster struck: Ben-Barak’s hay reserves were deliberately set on fire, causing millions in damage. Every bale of hay intended to sustain the farm’s historic barn was reduced to ash.
Neta Ben-Barak, who now manages the farm, voiced his anguish. “My great-grandfather, one of Nahalal’s founders, built this dairy farm over 100 years ago. They burned the hay meant to feed our cows for the next two years. This terrorism threatens to destroy our life’s work.”
Arson has also struck elsewhere. In Moshav Alma in the Upper Galilee, Shalom Guetta’s farm was torched and he lost 200 bales of hay, an estimated 150,000 shekels in damage. As if that weren’t enough, an ATV was burned and a tractor severely damaged, adding another 200,000 shekels in losses. The farm was also raided and calves were stolen.
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