A tractor-sized thank you: American Jews help cultivate the future of West Bank farming
An American organization supporting Israeli settlements in the West Bank held an appreciation event in Brooklyn, New York, honoring donors who helped finance tractors and agricultural equipment for Jewish farming communities in the territory and the Jordan Valley. American Friends of Judea and Samaria (AFJS) organized the event to recognize supporters whose contributions have funded the purchase of tractors, farming machinery and other equipment used by agricultural farms in the region.
The organization works to promote education and public awareness about Judea and Samaria, the biblical names commonly used by Israelis for the West Bank, while strengthening ties between American supporters and Jewish communities in the territory. In recent years, AFJS has also launched an initiative aimed at expanding Jewish agricultural activity in the West Bank and Jordan Valley, providing machinery and essential equipment to farmers and young families establishing and developing agricultural communities.
The initiative seeks to strengthen Jewish settlement and farming in areas that supporters regard as part of the Jewish people's historical homeland. Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East war, are considered illegal under international law by the United Nations and most of the international community, a position Israel disputes. Agricultural farms and outposts have become an increasingly prominent part of Israeli settlement activity in the territory, where land ownership, access and settlement expansion remain central issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article names farms and outposts as a growing part of settlement activity and quotes the funding going to young pioneers establishing farms. It leaves out that Ynet itself reported two weeks earlier that unauthorised outposts are used as staging points for attacks on Palestinian villages, and that Palestinians harvesting olives have suffered serious attacks. Without this, a reader sees the outposts only as farms and a land dispute.
How we know
- Ynet News (English) wrote earlier“Numerous other unauthorized outposts across the West Bank are used by extremists as staging points for acts of nationalist violence.”Burning tires, roadblocks and violence: 18 Jewish extremists arrested in West Bank outpost evacuation (opens in a new tab)
- Ynet News (English) wrote earlier“the IDF and police have failed to prevent several serious attacks on Palestinians harvesting olives”Jewish rioters attack European diplomats in West Bank, Belgium demands EU sanctions (opens in a new tab)
During the Brooklyn event, donors received certificates of appreciation and miniature tractor models representing the types of agricultural vehicles purchased with their contributions and now operating on farms in the region. Each model was mounted on a specially crafted wooden base bearing a personal dedication to the donor, intended to symbolize the connection between American Jewish supporters and Israeli farmers in the West Bank. The gifts and certificates were presented by AFJS Chairman Rafi Lazerowitz and the organization's CEO, Yigal Dilmoni, who thanked donors for their continued support of agricultural development, Jewish settlement and security in the region.
Addressing the gathering, Dilmoni acknowledged the uncertainty and concerns facing Jewish communities in the United States and said the initiative offered American supporters a tangible connection to Israel. "We know that you are living here in New York and throughout the United States during a challenging time, accompanied by uncertainty and concern about the future," Dilmoni said. "It is precisely at such a time that we want to remind you of something important: everyone who partners with us through AFJS has a tangible stake in the Land of Israel."
He emphasized that the contributions went beyond financial assistance, describing donors as active participants in the expansion of Jewish agricultural communities. "You are not simply making donations from afar. You are active partners in the renewal of Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria and in the return of the Jewish people to their homeland," he said. Dilmoni said the tractors and other agricultural equipment were helping farmers cultivate land, develop farms and establish a lasting Jewish presence in the region.
"The tractors and agricultural equipment you have helped provide enable young pioneers to cultivate the land, develop agricultural farms, strengthen our presence on the ground, and preserve the lands of the Land of Israel for future generations of the Jewish people," he said. He concluded by describing the equipment as a symbol of the relationship between American donors and Israeli farmers. "Every time one of these tractors heads out to work in the fields of Judea and Samaria, a part of you goes with it," Dilmoni said.
"This is the true partnership between American Jews and the pioneers in the Biblical Land of Israel."
Read the original article on ynetnews.com (opens in a new tab)