20 Year-Old Vineyard Bulldozed by Israel’s Government 

I was in Jerusalem this week when I began receiving messages about a vineyard in Shiloh that was about to be destroyed. It was the same vineyard we fought and advocated for nearly two years ago. Many of you signed the petition that we put together, sharing the story far and wide in an effort to stop its destruction. Now, it looked as if it would be destroyed again. 

Within minutes of receiving the first message, I suddenly realized that we were too late. The land had already been bulldozed. After I had finished my errands in Jerusalem, I decided to stop by the Shiloh Valley to survey the damage for myself. After driving through the town of Shiloh, and past the community of Shevut Rachel, I descended into the valley to the east of Highway 60 (the Road of the Patriarchs). Coming over the hill, I saw the piles. Piles of brown, dead and broken vines mounded up next to rich, dark earth. Even the tall cypress trees, a rare sight in these hills and which had formed a tree-lined drive in between the vineyards, were bulldozed. Only a few of them remained as silent witnesses to the destruction they had witnessed. 

I parked beside the remaining cypress trees and got out to survey the damage. Normally in these areas, it’s difficult to find any land that is void of rocks. More than twenty years ago, however, a brave, pioneering farmer had painstakingly removed every rock from this field. Tractors, and more likely, the hardworking hands of young people, had gone through these fields, removing rock after rock, preparing the ground to plant a vineyard. 

In obedience to the prophet Jeremiah, the farmer planted. He then tended the fields carefully, laboring for the first three years without any profit. Finally, after years of hard work and investment, he had a beautiful vineyard. 

Now, I stood in the midst of brown, rich earth. I was surrounded by piles of broken vines and toppled, 30-foot cypress trees. I couldn’t help remembering when I walked the rows of this vineyard more than a year and a half ago, filming a video in our desperate attempt to change the minds of the court in Israel that had called for its destruction.

Many of you joined our fight, signing the petition and sharing it with your friends and coworkers. 

We thought we had won the battle, but it turned out to only be a short reprieve. 

Believe it or not, the vineyard came under what is known as a disruptive use order. It basically means that if an Arab lays claim to a piece of land, the courts can call for its owners to be evicted, and the land destroyed, even if the Arab does not show proof of ownership. That is exactly what happened in this case. No one had brought proof of ownership. The land is not owned by Arabs. It was barely even disputed. After being bulldozed, no one will move onto it, no buildings will be built, and no farms will be planted here. It was simply the wish of Israel’s court system that it be destroyed, and in a way, the wish of the international community. 

Because now, the world should be happy with Israel. They demanded that Israel not build and farm in Judea and Samaria in exchange for peace. Now that a vineyard has been bulldozed, they should be happy, right? 

For your answer, eleven Jews were murdered by Arab terrorists in the last three weeks.

The world will continue shouting that Israel must give up land for peace. The settlements in the “West Bank” are the problem, they’ll say, and those “pesky settlers” are just standing in the way of a Palestinian state. 

Have you noticed the international community, the mainstream media, or the Biden Administration treating Israel more favorably since this vineyard was destroyed? 

Israel announced that they planned to retroactively legalize nine Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, and in response, the Biden Administration roundly condemned them. 

Eleven Jews were murdered in Israel, and a vineyard was destroyed. 

We must continue fighting on behalf of Israel, especially her right to live, thrive, and grow in all of Israel – especially Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, the Biblical Heartland.