Burnt vines
Photo: Yesha's human rights group
West Bank turned into thieves' heaven, says Yesha Council
Council's human rights group issues report detailing Palestinian attacks on Jewish farmers; claims IDF, police discriminate in favor of Arab perpetrators
The Yesha Council's human rights organization on Tuesday published a report detailing the ways Palestinians and left-wing activists attack and conspire against the Jewish farmers in the West Bank.
According to the report, these incidents cause hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damages and emotional anguish beyond compensation.
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Among the cases stated on the report is that of a family in Bat-Ain, who had 223 acres of grazing land burnt down; and another of a family in Pnei-Kedem, whose 500 olive trees were uprooted.
According to the organization, when Arab framers complain of harassment, the head of the IDF Central Command and the local police forces issue restraining orders or arrest warrants against Jewish suspects almost immediately, but when a Jewish farmer is the one being harassed, no preemptive or restraining measures are taken against the Arab perpetrators.
Uprooted trees (Photo: Yesha's human rights group)
The police, adds the report, make in a point not to enter the Arab villages in the West Bank, making them a virtual "paradise for thieves".
The Arabs villagers, it said, know that once farm equipment stolen from the Jewish farms is within village limits, its rightful owner is unlikely to ever see it again.
The report goes on to fault not only the military and police forces, but both local and international left-wing organizations, which use the mass rallies they hold in the area as an excuse to unscrupulously damage Jewish farm lands.
It is high time the law enforcement forces treat the Palestinians and left-wing activists as they do the Jewish farmers and right-wing activists, concludes the report.
"The IDF, Judea and Samaria police and all other law enforcement forces work tirelessly to maintain a visible presence in conflict areas, in order to keep the order," said the Judea and Samaria District Police in response.
"The police action against those breaking the law is taken indiscriminately and applied equally to both Palestinians and Israelis," added the statement.
