In the Rapid-Response Squads, they warn: The Arab olive harvest that takes place near Jewish settlements and main traffic routes in Judea and Samaria in recent days is being exploited by the Arabs for a series of malicious purposes. This reached its peak this morning in a murderous attack (Thursday) on a Jewish shepherd using an ax.
Many fighters from the area report that Arabs have been tracking the movements of forces and infiltration routes, and the anger among the residents is growing. "This is a ticking bomb. Despite the massacre in the Gaza Strip envelope, the IDF refuses to wake up." The Arab olive harvest, which takes place at times meters from the settlement areas and IDF bases, allows Arabs to reach places that are usually restricted for security reasons on regular days."
At the beginning of the week, fighters from the Rapid-Response Squad of one of the settlements in the western part of the Binyamin region went on a tour in the area and identified suspicious Arabs near the fence. A brief check of his possessions revealed that it was not innocent agricultural activity. "We went on a tour with the Rapid-Response Squad on the outskirts of one of the settlements in Binyamin, and we saw a man in his 50s with his wife, 100 meters from the patrol line," one of the fighters recounted. "We went to check him, and, out of 'courtesy', he showed us some things on his phone."
During the olive harvest, a shepherd was attacked with an ax
"There were images of our forces, videos of our patrols, pictures of cut fences that looked like infiltration routes, and aerial photos of our settlement. In addition, his phone had pictures of Mohammad Def, and various incitement materials. It is to the army's credit that they detained him for questioning," one of the fighters recounted. In the settlement of Tapuach in the Samaria region, fighters also reported a similar incident. A unit arrived at the scene and apprehended Arabs who were identified as agricultural workers near the settlement. In a brief search of their phones, extensive surveillance documentation and Telegram groups for gathering intelligence for the enemy were discovered."
As reported earlier this morning, the events with the olive harvesters have reached their peak. Under the cover of an Arab olive harvest event that took place near the Rimonim junction in the Binyamin region, five Arab terrorists armed with clubs and an ax suddenly emerged from among the trees and brutally attacked two Jewish shepherds who were grazing their flock nearby. One of the shepherds was severely injured and is in critical condition at the hospital, with his life in danger.
The murder of the Fogel family was carried out under the "sponsorship" of the olive harvest
Eliyahu Ohayon, a resident of Kokhav Hashahar who was called to provide care for the wounded, reported after the incident that "the warning signs were on the wall in bright red. During the past period, residents in the area repeatedly alerted that the Arab olive harvest event was used as a cover for planning violent attacks against Jews, espionage, and gathering intelligence. However, the IDF ignored this and decided to allow this terrible incident to happen. Today, we received its results in the form of beloved Jews who were severely injured," Ohayon summarized in pain.
Hours after the severe lynching incident in the Binyamin region, Arabs once again carried out an attack under the guise of the olive harvest event, this time near the settlement of Revava in the Samaria region. Residents traveling on the main road connecting the settlements of Revava and Yakir were attacked with stones by Arabs who stood by the roadside and appeared to be participating in the olive harvest. Some residents decided to stop at a point in response to the stone-throwing attack, which led the military to move the Arabs away from the scene.
The recent series of attacks have led many settlements throughout Judea and Samaria to demand unequivocally from the IDF that the olive harvest event near the settlements be prohibited. In meetings with high-ranking IDF officials, they also mentioned the shocking Fogel family massacre that took place under the guise of the olive harvest. However, as of writing these lines, the IDF refuses to cancel the olive harvest event scheduled for the beginning of the next week.
This is a ticking bomb
In the "Fighting for Life" headquarters that leads the protests against the security situation in Judea and Samaria, they called on residents in recent days to report cases of Arab harvesters near settlements and to organize in a civilian manner to eliminate the threat until the IDF does so itself. The call received a broad response in the field, and in the past week, dozens of incidents were reported in which residents independently removed Arab harvesters who approached the settlements.
"It's an extremely explosive situation," they say at the headquarters. "Just a little over two weeks ago, we were alarmed by seeing how Hamas carried out a terrorist attack in the Gaza Strip envelope communities with the assistance of the information gathered by Arab laborers who worked in those settlements. The recent events in Judea and Samaria have made it absolutely clear that these Arab harvesters serve as an innocent cover for terrorist activities, attacks, intelligence collection, and documentation of forces.
"Unfortunately, despite the massacre in the Gaza Strip envelope communities and the glaring warning signs, the IDF is still entrenched in the same concept and refuses to rectify it. The next disaster is just waiting around the corner, and it will be recorded in the name of those who enabled this failure. We call on the public to act independently and lawfully to eliminate this threat, in the hope that the IDF will wise up and do it on its own," the headquarters stated.
