Group: We’ll Defend Self-Defense Against Thieves

Any farmer who needs to open fire on a thief or home invader need not fear being set adrift in a lake of media legal and media recriminations, the Regavim organization said Thursday. In a new campaign created in the wake of a shooting case earlier this week, the group said it would provide free legal representation to farmers, moshav workers, or tractor and truck drivers who shot at thieves trying to steal their vehicles, crops or animals.

The announcement came after a truck driver from the moshav of Beit Elazari shot in the air at three individuals who attempted to steal his vehicle. The driver said that he did not hit anyone, but after the incident rescue officials found a dead body in a field near where the shootings took place. Police have opened an investigation, and believe that the dead man, about 30, may have been one of the thieves.

The case has received a great deal of media attention, with pundits and politicians debating the limits of self-defense and the appropriate response to an attempted theft. Agriculture Minster Uri Ariel said that he fully supported the shooter, “who was trying to protect himself and his family. Farmers, especially in areas near large Palestinian populations, suffer from robberies, vandalism and nationalistic attacks. Security forces must increase their activities in order to defend these people. With that, we need to increase our activities to prevent the need for individuals to have to defend themselves in this way in the first place.”