Over the past several months, I have had the privilege of visiting several new agricultural farms in Judea and Samaria while reporting for Ari Fuld’s Israel Shield Magazine.
The publication, in memory of Ari Fuld, a true warrior for the Jewish people, both online and in the real world, seeks to spread the truth about the situation in Israel, and equip readers with the tools and knowledge they need to fight back against Jew-hatred masked as anti-Zionism.
The key takeaway for me, from the time I spent on these farms, is that the young couples, often with small children, living on the hilltops of Judea and Samaria and other areas throughout the country, should be praised as the modern-day Zionist pioneers, safeguarding the future of the State of Israel.
These dedicated individuals have given up the comforts of city life and established communities to counter the rapid illegal encroachment and squatting on state lands in Area C, which is under full Israeli control.
Since the publication of the 2009 Fayad Plan, launched by Palestinian Authority prime minister Salam Fayyad, Arabs under the PA have been illegally putting thousands of facts on the ground in strategic corridors throughout Area C.
Their goal is to claim as much territory as possible to either unilaterally take over those areas or assert ownership over them should Israel and the PA once again enter into peace negotiations.
Most Israelis oppose the two-state solution
It’s important to note that following the October 7, 2023, massacre, statistics show that most Israelis oppose a so-called two-state solution.
They recognize that just as Hamas used Israel’s 2005 expulsion from Gaza as a springboard to build an extensive terrorist infrastructure, any withdrawal from Judea and Samaria could be equally – and potentially even more – dangerous.
Israel’s major population centers in the center of the country, as well as its international airport, could come under direct threat from terror organizations operating from the strategic high ground of the Judea and Samaria hills.
This is where Israeli farmers come in.
The farmers, many of whom resemble what the media and international community demonize as “hilltop youth,” push back against the illegal takeover of land by Arabs.
And their weapon of choice? Not a gun, but a flock of sheep.
The presence of an Israeli farmer or shepherd out in the fields from morning to night with his flock naturally prevents Arabs from setting up additional illegal outposts on state land.
At the same time, a shepherd becomes the eyes and ears of the areas outside the bigger, established communities. They can alert security personnel should any hostile elements attempt a terrorist infiltration.
On a recent visit to a farm in eastern Gush Etzion, one of the farmers said that until they established a presence in the area, Arabs would often approach the fence-line of the nearby communities. He also said it was too dangerous to walk around or hike in the area unless you were armed.
However, he said that after his farm and three others were established in the area, adults, teens, and families now hike there freely and unafraid.
There are currently around 150 farms throughout Judea and Samaria, with around 90 established since October 7.
It’s often an uphill battle from a public relations perspective, with the world infatuated with what they call “settler violence.”
Be honest. What’s the first image that comes to mind when you think of a long-haired Israeli with side curls and tzitzit (fringes) holding a gun and standing on a hilltop?
The negative stereotyping of a group of people based on their looks is unfair. At the same time, it’s important to note the exaggerations and untruths of those infatuated with spreading claims of “settler violence.”
An extensive 2025 policy paper titled “False Flags Real Agendas,” published by the Regavim movement, delves into the inaccurate, inflated, or miscategorized figures of what the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs database labels as alleged settler violence.
Regavim claims that over 90% of the incidents in OCHA’s database were either not violent, did not involve Jewish civilians (e.g., were clashes with the IDF), or were self-defense by Jews.
Some of the categories that OCHA labels as “settler violence” include non-violent events such as school trips, tourist visits to archaeological sites, and traffic accidents involving Israelis in Judea and Samaria, all of which are systematically classified under that term.
It would be laughable, but unfortunately, so many of these misclassifications have entered the public discourse as accepted truths.
The bottom line is that in reality, the proprietors of the farms in Judea and Samaria are peaceful, law-abiding, IDF-serving (many of whom are currently in the IDF reserves) citizens of the State of Israel, who are on the frontlines protecting, preserving, defending, and securing the Land of Israel for future generations.
Their dedication and sacrifice should be applauded by the rest of the country.
The writer is a freelance journalist and the host of the JNS TV video podcast “Judeacation,” which focuses on life in Judea and Samaria.