By: Arye Green
A frightening 70% of Israeli farmers have suffered at least one incident of agricultural crime in 2019, and a farm was hit eight times on average throughout the year, a survey by the HaShomer HaChadash organization shows.
One in five farmers suffered from a number of agricultural crimes on a monthly basis, the organization said.
A vast 90% of the agricultural crimes were theft, and damage caused by agricultural crime to ranchers in 2019 is estimated at NIS 25 million.
Sadly, only 25 percent of farmers complain to the police about the incidents, and the majority of the cases, 62%, were closed by the authorities for lack of public interest.
Over the past year, HaShomer HaChadash has received a record number of requests from farmers for assistance but was able to assist only 450 of them.
The assistance included guarding of the farms by volunteers and operating a field crew to contend with the thieves. Some 2,300 volunteers went out every night to maintain 64 guard points during 7,251 shifts throughout 2019.
Agricultural crime among farms that do not receive aid from the organization is three times higher than at ranches that receive aid from the organization, the organization noted.
HaShomer HaChadash is a Zionist social-educational organization established in 2007 by volunteers with the goal of safeguarding the land in Israel, assisting farmers and ranchers as well as strengthening the Jewish people’s connections to the land, Jewish values and Zionist identity.
Inspired by pre-state Shomer organization, the HaShomer HaChadash was established in response to the need for protecting agricultural lands and assisting Israeli farmers in their attempt to cling to the land while contending with a mounting wave of agricultural crime, often carried out by Arabs.
In November of 2019, TPs reported that agricultural terror had struck again when a grain silo was set on fire in the small northern village of Nahalal. Following a recent series of similar incidents, farmers across Israel have protested the government’s failure to prevent such crimes.
Over the last year, Gazan terrorists have set fire to hundreds of acres of farmland in southern Israel with fire balloons and kites.
This rampant agricultural terrorism often irreparably damages Israeli farmers, who claim law enforcement authorities are not doing enough to combat the problem.
“The phenomenon of agricultural terror has become a national epidemic, and if the Israeli authorities do not address the issue, it will become one of Israel’s biggest challenges,” said Yaron Belhasan, head of the Israel Fruit Growers Association.
“The eradication of agricultural terror must be a priority for the current and upcoming Israeli governments, and certainly, an agriculture minister must be appointed urgently to combat the growing phenomenon of farmers lacking basic personal security,” he added.
Uri Dorman, chairman of the Galilee Development Company, said the phenomenon shows no sign of slowing down, and called on the Israeli government to find the necessary budget to deal with the issue.
“Unfortunately, agricultural terrorism has not ceased and is not decreasing. It continues to hurt farmers across the country and the state must act as quickly as possible to eliminate this phenomenon. Farmers should be provided a special budget for the technological means that will provide real-time information about what is happening on their land. In addition, the government should fund a special insurance scheme for farmers, that will protect them against damages from agricultural terrorism,” he said.
“The role of agriculture, apart from independent food production, is to maintain the open spaces of the State of Israel. This terrorism is trying to weaken us and prevent us from being farmers, causing the abandonment of state-owned land. We expect the government to find a proper solution to alleviate this phenomenon and to fully compensate farmers,” he added.
(TPS)
