Ranchers complete four-day cattle drive across Samaria

A herd of more than 100 cows recently traveled across Samaria on a four-day journey between two Israeli farms, showcasing the ability of Jewish ranchers to move freely in the area, Channel 14 reported on Saturday.

The livestock left from Dorot Illit Farm, near the city of Karnei Shomron, walking a “long and complex route spread out over hundreds of dunams through the open and spectacular areas of Samaria,” the report stated.

(A dunam is 1/10 of a hectare, or 0.247105 acres.)

The cattle drive ended at the Maoz Shaul Farm near Jewish community of Avnei Hefetz, located around seven miles north of the Dorot Illit Farm.

The cattle transfer was carried out as part of a collaboration between the two farm owners, with the goal of balancing grazing areas. While events like this are common in the Golan Heights, the Samaria transfer showed the revolution that farms in the region have undergone in recent years.

“These breathtaking sights are not just National Geographic–style images; they are the very essence of Zionism and of agriculture that builds and strengthens the Land,” said Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan.

“Agriculture in Samaria is the realization of the Zionist vision,” he declared.

“The farm enterprise preserves the open spaces and ensures the continued settlement and Jewish presence throughout Judea and Samaria. This journey is another significant step forward in the struggle for the land. The next step will be sovereignty,” Dagan said.

Hananel Namir, who founded the Maoz Shaul Farm and led the cows on their journey, declared: “Am Yisrael Chai” (“The nation of Israel lives”).

“We have been privileged to see with our own eyes the importance of developing the farms and building up the Land of Israel. Thank you to everyone who strengthens the settlement points at the farms spread across Judea and Samaria,” said the rancher.

“With God’s help, we’ll continue to give everything we can to maintain the continuity of settlement and the return of the people of Israel to their land, particularly in places where Jews have not set foot for years,” Namir said.

According to figures collected by regional authorities, Arab aggression targeting Jewish farmers has been on the rise across Judea and Samaria.

“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 communities are located]. They’re trying to stop them by using violence,” a local official from Judea and Samaria told JNS in August 2023.

Israel has initiated a drive to expand its control of Judea and Samaria, approving 41,709 housing units and 50 new towns since 2022.

On July 23, 71 of the 120 members of Knesset passed a non-binding motion in favor of extending Israel’s sovereignty to Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley.

Thirteen lawmakers voted against the motion, which was sponsored by MKs Dan Illouz (Likud), Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism), Limor Son Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit) and Oded Forer (Yisrael Beiteinu).

“Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley are an inseparable part of the Land of Israel, the historic, cultural and spiritual homeland of the Jewish people,” the resolution states.