Grapes Of Their Wrath

Illustration: Grapes (Image credit: Wix)

The early Sunday morning sun was already strong when Tzvika Struk left his home in Esh Kodesh, a Jewish community a few miles east of Shilo in the Samarian hills, to check his vineyard. He had planted it four years ago, cultivated it carefully and waited patiently for the harvest when the restricted time according to Jewish law elapsed. The grapes were high quality and when sold would reward his efforts – and feed his family of six children. It was the beginning of July. The grapes were almost ready. When he got to his field, however, instead of lush green vines he saw brown shriveled leaves. Two thousand grape vines had been destroyed on Friday night. The police and IDF found tracks that led to the nearby Arab village of Kusra.

This was not the first time that Arabs from this village had attacked the fields of Esh Kodesh and other Jewish communities in the area. Dozens of times the communities reported thefts and destruction, but the police and IDF were unwilling to arrest the perpetrators and risk a confrontation, so there were no investigations. Nothing was done.

Strangely, the media (with the exception of Arutz 7) refused to report the story, citing lack of time and interest. Their lack of concern, however, is difficult to comprehend since they often report Arab claims that Jews have destroyed their olive trees. Widespread theft of Jewish-owned livestock, arson and vandalism by Arabs is never reported.

According to Aaron Katsof, a resident of Esh Kodesh and head of the Binyamin Fund which helps Jewish communities and farmers, there is a struggle between Jews and Arabs over large areas of uninhabited and unused State land in Area C of Judea and Samaria (the “West Bank”), in which all Jewish “settlements” are located. Arabs and Bedouin are constantly encroaching, and in some cases claiming to own land, often supported by the IDF’s Civil Administration (CA), the judicial authority in Judea and Samaria.

Recently, Struk had planted grape vines in another area of Esh Kodesh. Arabs protested, claiming to own the land, and the case was heard by an IDF military court. Although the court decided that there was no basis for the Arab claims, the CA forced Struk to uproot the vines anyway. He tried to replant nearby, but most plantings were not successful and the disputed patch remains barren.

Because the IDF/CA operates with the approval of the Israeli government, however, there is no way to remedy or appeal its decisions.

Struk’s dilemma highlights the struggle that Katsof describes, where land use can be the basis for claims of ownership. Unfortunately, the government has no coherent policy and has left decisions to local IDF officers, who are unequipped and untrained to deal with complex land disputes.

Several years ago Prime Minister Netanyahu appointed a commission led by retired High Court Justice Edmund Levy and legal experts to resolve this problem. Their report was meant to provide a fair and equitable judicial administration; it has not, however, been brought to the government for discussion.

In an effort to prevent further intrusions and clashes, the IDF recently installed cameras in the area. The Binyamin Fund established a special crowd-funding site to help the Struk family with losses estimated at hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Standing alone, Struk remembers the Haftorah which is read on the second day of Rosh Hashana: “Yet again shall you plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria” (Jeremiah, 31).

“Abba,” Struk hears the voice of 12-year-old Kinneret, his eldest child behind him, and then feels her hand grasping his.

“What happened?” Her eyes search his for an answer.

Tzvika tries to speak, but words are stuck inside, won’t come out.

“Qusra,” Kinneret says bitterly. Tzvika nods.

Walking slowly into the field, they step over bunches of nearly ripe purple grapes and broken vines. “Come,” he says, wiping his face with his sleeve, “let’s see what we can save.”

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This article, reprinted with permission of the author, first appeared as “Grapes of Their Wrath” in MIDEAST OUTPOST, 26 Sept. 2017.