Tzur Natan Durani, owner of the Malachei Avraham farm near Ma’ale Hever, was attacked last Friday by dozens of Arab rioters from the village of Bani Na’im in what appeared to be a planned ambush in the farm’s grazing lands.
The incident began when rioters arrived at the grazing area and attempted to drive the farm’s flock away. The shepherd at the scene alerted Durani, who rushed to the area while simultaneously reporting the incident to security forces.
Upon his arrival, the rioters initially pretended they were interested only in talking. Within moments, however, additional rioters emerged from behind, violently attacked Durani, and knocked him to the ground.
During the physical struggle, Durani attempted to draw his personal handgun for self-defense, but the rioters fought with him for an extended period, managed to snatch the weapon from his hands, and held it while it was cocked.
Only the arrival of IDF soldiers at the scene prevented a major disaster. When the forces arrived, the rioters threw the weapon to the ground and began confronting the soldiers.
At the end of the incident, the IDF arrested five of the assailants, and they were transferred to the police for further handling.
“We must treat this incident as a terror attack in every sense," Durani said after the lynching attempt. “They came with a clear goal to harm and carry out a terrorist act. There were moments I was sure I was going to die. The IDF, thank God, in commendable action, arrested most of the rioters who attacked me - but this is not an isolated incident. It is a new peak in terror against shepherds in Judea and Samaria, which has seen a worrying surge in recent weeks."
Despite the serious incident, he clarified that the attack would not deter the farm’s staff. “This terror ultimately has one goal - to make us retreat and abandon the area. That will not happen. Already on Shabbat, we went back out to graze in the same area to send a clear message: no terror will break us, and the more you try to harm and attack us, the more we will expand, God willing, and return the areas of our land to Jewish hands."