A new report published by the Binyamin Regional Council reveals an increasing phenomenon in the strategic farms in the Alon Highway area, around the hostile village of Al-Mu'ayr.
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Since June 2025, at least 11 incidents have been documented in the area in which animals were poisoned or food and water sources were found to be suspected of being poisoned.
The latest incident occurred yesterday (Tuesday), when two goats were found dead on the grounds of the David Fortress Farm, suspected of being poisoned.
In total, dozens of sheep, goats, cows, and dogs died or were injured in the various incidents.
The method of operation varies: in some cases, dates and pita bread containing a substance suspected of being poison were scattered in grazing areas, and in others, poison was found in troughs and water holes. In some of the incidents, trackers found tracks that led towards nearby villages.
In February, for example, dates laced with poison were found in the pastures of the David Fortress farm. In May, four sheep were injured after a water hole on the grounds of the Shalisha farm was poisoned, and scans found footprints in the direction of a nearby village. In July, two sheep died on the same farm and about 15 more were poisoned after a substance suspected of being poison was found in a trough.
Later, poisoned dates were found in Tel Talpit and two dogs died. In August, a sheep died and five others were injured at the Shalisha farm, and in another incident, a sheep was injured in the Ma'alot David area.
The latest events occurred against a backdrop of growing tensions in the same area. On August 30, shepherds were attacked with stones in the area of the quarry axis, near Al-Mu'ayr.
In the vicinity of the incident, a shepherd was attacked by an anarchist activist near Rimonim Square, was injured and even lost consciousness. Yesterday, September 2, at the same time as the two dead goats were found in the David Fortress Farm area, another shepherd was attacked in the same area by an anarchist activist. The council says that the unusual proximity in time and place between the poisoning incidents and the anarchist activity against the shepherds raises suspicion of their involvement in the events and calls on security officials to investigate this.
Photo: Benjamin Spokesperson
The council is particularly warning about the damage to water sources. Poisoning of drinking water is a terrible scenario that the State of Israel has been preparing for for years, and now, the council says, deliberate poisoning of water sources is occurring unhindered in grazing areas – at this stage against herds. The council warns that this is a warning sign that must not be ignored.
The location of the farms has strategic significance. They are spread out in the open areas between Al-Mu'ayr and the Alon Road and, according to the council, constitute a layer of protection for the route. In the past, attacks have come from the Al-Mu'ayr area to the road and endangered travelers. The presence of the farmers in the area has distanced the centers of friction from the route. Only about a year ago, a terrorist resident of Al-Mu'ayr shot at a farmer from the Gal Yosef settlement.
The security importance of the farms was already raised in a previous report by the Binyamin Council and the Farm Association. According to the data, in parallel with the expansion of the farm network, the number of incidents of road accidents on the Alon Highway decreased from 459 in 2022, when three farms were operating, to 126 in 2024, when 11 farms were operating. In the first half of 2025, with 13 farms along the route, only 52 incidents were recorded.
The Binyamin Council warns that in addition to harming the animals and the livelihoods of the farmers, harming the farms could return the threat to the Alon Highway and the thousands of Israelis who travel on it.
Head of the Binyamin Regional Council and Chairman of the Yesha Council Yisrael Gantz: "If we remain silent when sheep are poisoned, we will cry when Israelis are poisoned. Don't say the writing wasn't on the wall. The State of Israel has been preparing for years for a scenario of poisoning drinking water, and here, right before our eyes, water sources used by herds are already being poisoned. We must not wait for this method to be turned against humans. I call on the security establishment to act decisively against the terrorists from Al-Mu'ayr, who have proven over the years the will, intent, and ability to murder Israelis. Those responsible must be arrested and this phenomenon must be stopped now, before it is too late.".
