Jewish Vineyard in Shiloh Vandalized

Arab vandals destroyed dozens of vines at an Israeli-owned vineyard in the Shiloh area in Shomron.

The vineyard owners came for their weekly visit at the field on Wednesday to discover that some 30 – 40 of the vines had been cut at their base.

Vineyard owner Yisrael Rappaport told TPS that the vandalism must have occurred in the last week, since the last time they visited the vineyard. The season requires only periodical visits to vineyards, he explained.

He noted that the rehabilitation process of the vines will be prolonged, if it succeeds at all.

“Beyond the physical damage caused here, there is significant spiritual pain as well,” he said, speaking of the heartache and immense grief the scenes of the destroyed vines have caused him.

He filed a complaint with the police, who arrived on Wednesday to investigate the vandalism, but Rappaport said that their reactions indicate that they did not set this case as their top priority.

Rappaport spoke of a sense of helplessness in the face of these acts of vandalism.

Arab vandalism of Israeli-owned agricultural endeavors is a common occurrence, and Israeli vineyards in Yehudah and Shomron have been repeatedly targeted by Arab sabotage.

Just last week, Arab vandals early Wednesday morning destroyed dozens of vines at an Israeli-owned vineyard in Chevron.

The vineyard, located in ancient Tel Chevron near the neighborhood of Adamot Yishai (Tel Rumeida), was planted eight years ago by a farmer from the Jewish community of Chevron.

The vandals arrived at the vineyard in the early hours of the morning utilizing a special permit that the IDF granted to Chevron municipality workers who came to perform conservation work at the ancient olive groves near the Israeli neighborhood. They sawed the vines, effectively killing them.

A few days before that, Arab vandals uprooted an Israeli owned vineyard in the Jordan valley. A total of six incidents of vandalism occurred in the same area in the past two months.