by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz Kislev 6, 5770 / November 23, '09
(IsraelNN.com) The Botzer family, whose farm was demolished Monday morning by the military, described for Arutz Sheva Radio the loss they have suffered, saying it is far more than financial.
The Botzer farm, located adjacent to Mevo Dotan in the Shomron (Samaria) region, was destroyed Monday morning as part of the government crackdown on what have been defined as "unauthorized outposts" in lands liberated by Israel prior to the Six Day War. David and Shaina Botzer told Arutz Sheva that their farm is actually on state land within the municipal territory of Mevo Dotan, although west of the town's current residential area.
"My husband is a Navy commando and while he was planning to go to do his reserve duty, they came and dismantled his life's work. This was an animal pen worth tens of thousands of shekels. There were 50 heads of sheep there as part of an educational agricultural project that involves the area youth," Shaina said. The animal pen itself was subject to a demolition order, she said, but the order was in appeal before the proper authorities. In addition to the animal pen, the security forces also destroyed a stable that was not subject to the existing demolition order, Botzer added.
'Like a stab in the back'
"The Navy commando unit is in my husband's blood," Shaina told Arutz Sheva. "The unit is part of him and now it is hard for him to go to reserve duty. He feels like he was stabbed in the back."
Shaina was further surprised to see that the workers brought in to carry out the physical destruction of their property were Arabs from a neighboring village. "I am stunned. It is a total shock when Arabs come and dismantle a Jewish farm when so many of their homes in the village below [our farm] are illegal," she explained.
When the workers were taking down the pen, they tried to chase away the sheep, but the animals tried with all their might to remain in the enclosure. "Even after the pen was dismantled [the sheep] ran back to the area where it had stood, but they came upon a pile of rubble," Shaina Botzer said. "It is so symbolic that they tried to return home."
The Shomron Liaison Office informed Israel National News on Monday that the Botzer ranch is "an educational farm which is located in a very difficult and strategic area and is an inspiration to the region's development."
"We will continue and support the efforts of the Botzer family and those who help them secure a Jewish presence in the Northern Shomron," the Liaison Office said. "We are now launching an emergency campaign to raise funds to rebuild the building that was destroyed."
"We are essentially protecting state land here," Shaina Botzer said, "and they took everything of ours apart. With G-d's help, we will start over again."
(IsraelNN.com) Yehudit Ben David, her husband and their six children are determined to return to the same place where the government left them homeless last week after destroying their home, in which they had invested all of their savings of $90,000.
The illegal action that brought about the destruction and expulsion was their building a house after Defense Minister Ehud Barak refused to sign any permits for new homes for residents of the southern Hevron Hills community of Negohot, located southwest of Hevron and overlooking the Lachish area, part of pre-1967 Israel and north of Be’er Sheva.
Yehudit Ben David told Arutz 7 that she and her husband moved to Negohot 12 years ago after they married. Less than two years ago, after suffering heavy losses from Arab thieves who frequently stole equipment from the vineyard, the Ben Davids completed their “illegal” house that was built at the farm to help stop the thefts.
“We applied for permits as people do everywhere else, but they told us no approvals would be granted for Negohot," she explained. "A demolition order was issued, but we had no choice because both our family and the community have grown.” One other house also was destroyed by government bulldozers, backed by dozens of police and soldiers.
The Ben David family invested 350,000 shekels ($90,000), virtually all of their savings. Yehudit’s husband works for the Education Ministry and she takes care of the family and the house.
National Union Knesset Member Dr. Michael Ben-Ari appealed to Welfare Minister Yitzchak Herzog to help the new homeless families, but he has not responded to the request.
“They destroyed our home on Monday. On Thursday, [Arabs] stole the poles for the eruv,” a system Jews use to allow them to carry things within a community on the Sabbath.” On Friday, they put in new poles. We put up a tent, but it is difficult to live there with six children.”
The Ben Davids now are living in a crowded mobile home without wheels, known in Israel as a caravan. Yehudit noted that on a neighboring hill, the government has not destroyed illegally built Arab homes, which now number 40 - ten times the number that stood a few years ago.
The High Court recently ordered the government to explain apparent discrimination in destroying homes belonging to Jews while ignoring similar demolition orders for Arab homes despite their being slated for destruction for up to 10 years and more.
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