Last week, on the night of Kippur, terrorists who allegedly came from the village of Ein al-Bida infiltrated the large packing house of Mashek Dor in Moshav Machula, and set it on fire.
There was a flammable substance in the place, and thus 22 tons of almonds and willow branches that were intended for one of the largest marketing chains in Israel caught fire in preparation for Sukkot.
Firefighters arrived quickly, but it took them hours to get the fire under control.
The family packing house burned down completely,
A day and a half after the fire, the fire was still burning in the packing house.
Next to the greenhouses and fields stands the building, which used to be white.
It turned black with coal and belched smoke.
A heart-wrenching sight.
The value of the damage is tens of millions of shekels.
"This packing house is a dream come true after many years. For the last four years we have been providing packaging services and an independent production line, from cultivation to marketing. This is a significant peripheral damage. The farmers in the area have received service from it, suppliers and also people who work in the packing house, most of them come from the village where Acavot comes from The arsonists. We had to tell the Palestinian women who work for us not to come. They are the ones who packed the Arabah, they have nothing to come for," says Dor.
loss of governance
Following the extensive destruction, hundreds of residents of the Jordan Valley came out to demonstrate at the entrance to the village.
"It's an entire life's work that collapses in one moment," says the head of the Jordan Valley Council, David Alhaini, in a conversation from the demonstration.
"This is a large economy that employs many people. We have already had fires in packing houses, but this time we know for sure that it was arson and nationalist terrorism. Next time there could certainly be harm to humans as well.
"There is a close connection between the recent terrorist incidents in Yesha and this arson," says Elhaini, who until recently was head of the Yesha Council.
"Recently we saw a spike in stone throwing in the Jordan Valley, even in the second intifada we did not see anything like this. There is no presence, enforcement, governance and deterrence here. I would expect no one to leave the village to work after such an incident. When you do not act, what message do you send to the people who committed the act This? A complete loss of governance."
Agricultural terrorism: a packing house was set on fire in the Jordan Valley
Since the fire on Yom Kippur, members of the Dor family have been working to restore the badly damaged farm.
The people of Israel mobilized en masse to help the family, and more than two million shekels were donated to the crowdfunding campaign that began after Yom Kippur, exceeding the goal requested by its operators.
"The purpose of this money is to give us the opportunity to breathe, but at the same time we emphasize that we are not needy who need charity. We insured everything we could insure, but it was not possible to insure everything. There are limitations in such insurances," Dor explains.
Not the only event
This is not the only agricultural terrorist incident last week.
On Thursday, for the second time in weeks, the cherry orchards of Kfar Etzion in Gush Etzion were set on fire.
Firefighting and rescue forces at Yosh identified the tools with which the terrorists started the fire. The events join the burning of the cotton plantations in Kibbutz Ein Harod Meuhed on Rosh Hashanah.
my god
compensation like in the Gaza Strip,
Along with the rehabilitation efforts, the farmers are also forced to fight with the authorities to receive compensation, either from property tax or from other entities.
The President of the Farmers' Association Dobi Amitai, and the CEO of the New Guard, Yoel Zilberman, urgently appealed to the government, demanding that it immediately exercise its authority in accordance with the compensation procedure for agricultural thefts, in order to provide assistance to the Dor family.
According to the procedure drawn up in 1994, following the "Gaza and Jericho first" agreements, agricultural farms, such as Moshav Mahola, are supposed to receive property tax compensation for the damage.
They also demand to convene the members of the committee, which includes representatives of the government and the ministries of defense, finance and agriculture, so that a proper response is given to the Dor family.
"We turned to the government with a solution that could help the family. I fear for the fate of other farms," said Amitai.
"The hug from the people of Israel warms the heart"
Yoel Zilberman, CEO of the New Guardian, demands immediate action to address the failure. "The agricultural terrorism in the Dor farm is a symptom of the lack of governance.
We must raise the sense of personal security through the establishment of a national guard." He emphasizes that the compensation law for Israeli farmers should be compared to the law in the Gaza Strip in the face of terrorist acts.
"There is a question as to whether property tax will pay for all the damage. We are working to get the compensation, but we will get out of it," Dor clarifies.
"We have no other option. Sitting and crying is not an option. We are unfortunately surrounded by people who have lost their loved ones, buried a spouse or a child. Thank God, it is only property. The embrace of the people of Israel warms the heart. After all the allegations of polarization and ugly politics, Israel is not in dispute. We are united."
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