On Monday, two Arabs arrived at the Shefya orchard near Zichron Yaakov and fired a total of 21 bullets at the truck of the farmer while screaming, “We will kill the Jews!” They continued screaming, threatening the farmer by name. The assailants then left the scene.
The 80-year-old farmer, identified only as ‘Shlomi’, is a descendant of one of the original settlers of the community.
Shlomi’s son told Walla! News that he did not know the motive behind the attack.
“They never spoke with us, they never asked anything from us,” he told the Hebrew-language news site. “We have been on this land since the first wave of immigration. We don’t have any quarrels with anyone. I have no idea what they wanted. Maybe to scare us. They didn’t tell us, so we don’t know.”
“Once, when there were problems or quarrels or disagreements, then people would speak in this country. Today they shoot. That’s all. The generation has changed, for sure their younger people. Maybe this thing comes after they shoot and scare people. Maybe it will still happen. Maybe this thing is in order to ensure there won’t be problems in the future.”
“This is reality. We’ll manage. Today we already went back to the fields, obviously.”
He praised the work of the police who acted “at an unimaginable speed in terms of arrival”, adding, “hope they have solutions too”.
Israel Police arrested three residents of the northern Arab town of Fureidis on suspicion of shooting.
“At the end of their interrogation and in accordance with the evidence in the case, it will be decided whether to request an extension of their detention in a court in Hadera,” the police reported. It was also reported that in an unrelated incident, a 34-year-old resident of Fureidis was arrested on suspicion of shooting in the village.
MK Yoav Galant (Likud) responded: “We live in a country in which terror attacks on Jews are not reported, under the first Jewish-Palestinian government. We must ensure that once again, the residents of Israel have security. Jewish blood is not free for the taking.”
