“Like what happened just recently near Elon Moreh, when they tried to uproot trees in an attempt to accuse us of the uprooting,” he recalled. “Thank God, in that case we figured it out in time, but there are many attempts to provoke violence here, leftist provocateurs come and exploit the Arabs to try to start riots.”
The IDF has been alert and helpful, he noted. If violence breaks out, he said, “the army responds quickly and puts a stop to it.”
On Tuesday, Arabs in Samaria claimed that Jews from the town of Elon Moreh had uprooted their olive trees. However, a video released Tuesday evening shows that the trees were uprooted by the Arabs themselves.
The Samaria Residents Council and Samaria Regional Council have asked Israeli residents of the area to carry cameras with them so that they can film any similar incidents they witness during the olive harvest.
It's October, which means that the olive
trees are ready to give forth their fruit. And with olive harvesting an
important aspect of the Palestinian Authority's economy, tens of
thousands of PA farmers, wives and kids in tow, are out in the fields
pulling olives off hundreds of thousands of olive trees. Olive
harvesting is such an important component of PA society and so important
to its economy, the IDF stations troops in many areas to ensure that
the process goes smoothly.
Apparently, however, not all those joining
the harvest are interested in olives, says Sharya Demsky, a resident of
Elon Moreh and head of the Agricultural Committee of Samaria and
Binyamin. Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Demsky said that reports of
disturbances during the harvest – with PA leaders often accusing Israel
of encouraging unrest by instructing Jewish residents of Judea and
Samaria to interfere with Arab farmers whose only activity is to pick
olives – are not always accurate. “There are some people who come to the
fields not to collect money, but to cause trouble and provoke Israelis living in the area, and/or IEF troops.
“The army is out in force for this, and
watches the harvest closely,” said Demsky. “Everything is coordinated
with and by the IDF and the local and regional councils in Judea and
Samaria.” Thus, said Demsky, there was no reason for there to be any
unrest or untoward incidents during the harvest.
If there are such incidents, said Demsky,
it's due to Arab anti-Israel agitation, with radicals starting trouble
specifically to blame loval residents of the Strip.
A recent arrest – and later release – of a
group of Jews who were arrested for allegedly cutting down Arab olive
trees near their town was proof of the Arab provocation, said Demsky.
“The Arabs near Elon Moreh tried to destroy some trees themselves and
blame in on Jews,” and fortunately they were caught. Nevertheless, there
are other attempts that have succeeded, and the media immediately pumps
the story up using only the Arab version. “There are many leftists and
anarchists who come to allegedly “help” with the harvest, but whose real
job is to start trouble that will make Israeli or Israelis look bad.
Within a few weeks the harvest will be over, and things will hopefully return
to normal. “We will of course remain on alert,” said Demsky. “We need a
large group to ensure that Arabs do not tear down trees, and ensure
that they restrict their activities to olive harvesting,” he added.
from Arutz Sheva
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