Cows in northern Israel
Cows in northern IsraelNati Shohat/Flash 90

After Jewish farmers in the Jordan valley have suffered of late from harassment by Arabs causing deliberate damage to fields and agricultural equipment, the head of the Jordan Valley Regional Council decided to take an unusual step as a show of resistance.

Nrg reported that Council Head Idan Greenbaum instructed today, after an Arab herd of cows infringed on an agricultural field in a Jordan Valley kibbutz, that the herd be confiscated. The step was taken in coordination with enforcement authorities.

While regional councils have generally refrained from taking strong measures against Arab destruction of agricultural plots and equipment, fearing Arab reprisal manifested in additional acts of destruction, Greenbaum explained that the Jordan Valley Council could no longer be silent.

“We have decided that we will not be silent and will not sit complacently in the face of crime directed against the farmers of the Jordan Valley,” he said.

“It is clear that, in coming days, we will have to keep our eyes open and be prepared for the owners of the herds, which have been causing us damage for a long time now.

“We are determined to convey a strong message that will not be forgotten for a long time,” he said.

Greenbaum said that he was in touch with police about an impending Arab response.

“I have no doubt that [police] are aware as we are about what could happen, and I expect to receive from them all the assistance and defense to which they are obligated,” he said.