Logo
8 out of 11 Articles
Israeli police officers clash with Bedouins during a protest against tree planting

A War on Trees is Waged in Israel

As Jews celebrate Tu Beshvat, the arboreal New Year, Arabs in Israel unite in a war against trees. Rabbis have ruled that this conflict is an existential threat to Israel, similar to the battle of the Maccabees, and takes precedence even over the Sabbath.

Al-Jarmaq, a Palestinian media network, called for Palestinians to join the Bedouin in the Negev in their violent riots against Jewish National Fund (JNF) tree planting on Sunday night, January 16, as the holiday of Tu Beshvat began. Protests were held in Jaffa and Haifa. On Monday, as Tu Beshvat ended, protests were planned for Nazareth and Ar’ava. On Tuesday, more protests are planned for Lod and Sakhnin.

The protests, which have been going on for several weeks, quickly devolved into violence and demonstrators threw stones at police, who responded with anti-riot rubber bullets, shock grenades, and a water cannon. Arab media reported that Israeli police have arrested over 100 rioters to date, though Israeli sources claim that number is significantly lower.

Hamas expressed support for the Bedouin, claiming a ramming attack on Tuesday evening that wounded an IDF soldier was motivated by the tree planting. (i365 / VFI News)