A change of direction in the perception of security: the IDF is promoting a program under which security personnel at agricultural farms in the Yosh will be armed, with the understanding that they may be at considerable risk in the current situation, where they are not armed - Israel Hayom has learned.
Dozens of agricultural farms operate in Judea and Samaria, which protect state lands from Palestinian takeover.
These are isolated farms, far from roads or populated areas, and as a result the IDF has difficulty securing them.
Recently, there have been attacks against the residents of such farms, which ended without casualties.
At the beginning of January, a terrorist armed with a knife entered the Yehuda farm, near the settlement of Shema in Mount Hebron, and stabbed the owner of the farm.
An armed friend of the farm owner killed the terrorist.
This is not an isolated incident.
Recently, data from the Hashomer Yosh organization was published here, according to which in recent years there have been hundreds of attempts to attack farmers in the area.
Hundreds of attempts to attack a farmer.
Yosh (archive), photo: AFP
The residents are isolated and threatened
The IDF is aware of the problem created by the strategic location of the farms, which is intended to prevent Palestinians from taking over land, but causes them to be isolated from the concentrations of the population and the military forces. Now the IDF intends to establish a regulated program in order to arm the residents of the agricultural farms.
Like every citizen in Judea and Samaria, today these residents can submit an application to the Ministry of National Security, work an ordeal until receiving approval, and finally purchase the weapon with their own money.
It is still not clear which weapons the security forces in the farms will receive, civilian or military, but apparently the process of receiving weapons for them will be accelerated.
A person with a criminal record will not be able to get a gun license.
Police station (archive), photo: Liron Moldovan
Some of the residents of the isolated farms may not be able to equip themselves with firearms even after the policy change.
The new plan is to arm only farm residents who meet the legal requirements, therefore if a person has a criminal record, or does not meet the requirements of the law - he will not be able to arm himself.
Despite this, the IDF believes that this will be significantly beneficial for increasing security in the farms, so that if they are required to do so, they will be able to protect themselves from terrorists.
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