JNS
The visit to the community, which has yet to receive government approval, was closed to the media and not announced by the army.
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir paid an unusual visit to an unauthorized farming outpost in western Samaria over the weekend.
Zamir visited Maoz Shaul Farm, which was built near the established Jewish community of Avnei Hefetz in May, along with OC Central Command Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth on Friday, i24News reported on Sunday.
The visit to the outpost, which has yet to receive government approval, was closed to the media and not announced by the army.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also has authority over civilian matters in Judea and Samaria, on Sunday hailed the visit as a sign of the "excellent cooperation" between his office and the IDF.
"The farms lead the way in pioneering settlement in Judea and Samaria, acting as a vital shield for many communities there, as well as for the Sharon region [on the coastal plain] and other parts of the country," Smotrich tweeted.
"We will continue to strengthen settlement throughout our land and will never establish an Arab terrorist state in the Land of Israel," he declared.
Likud Party lawmaker Boaz Bismuth, who chairs the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, also commended Zamir for the visit.
"Settlement is of immense importance for the security of Israel's citizens and for the continued existence of the Jewish people in Zion. Applying sovereignty is a decisive act—it is victory," added the senior lawmaker.
In August 2023, Israeli Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter lauded farmers' role in protecting Israeli state lands, declaring that "there are no better guardians than hundreds of sheep, tended by an Israeli shepherd.
"All the government ministries are aware of the significant advantages of such farms, and they should be encouraged and enlarged in an orderly fashion," added the agricultural minister, a member of the Likud Party.
Meanwhile, Palestinian aggression against Jewish farmers in Judea and Samaria has been on the rise, according to data collected by authorities.
"Jewish farmers are grazing their sheep in open areas; Arabs don't like that, even if it happens in Area C [of Judea and Samaria, where Israeli civilian communities are located]. They're trying to stop them by using violence, a local official in Judea and Samaria told JNS in August 2023.
Figures gathered by the Hatzalah Judea and Samaria (Rescuers Without Borders) NGO and published over the weekend showed that farmers and shepherds have been attacked at least 71 times since Jan. 1, 2025.
