Residents of the Shomron Arab village Silwad, located adjacent to Yishuv Ofrah in the Benjamin Regional Council district, are being represented by the Yesh Din organization, filing a petition with the High Court of Justice. The petition calls to remove roadblocks that are in place for security reasons to permit Arab farmers from the village to work their fields which they explain are currently inaccessible.

The tell the court that for the past nine years, a fence erected without authorization and yishuv patrol dogs have resulted in their inability to access the fields, about 3,000 dunam (750 acres).

Yesh Din insists the current reality is unacceptable, and results in their inability to earn a livelihood. Yesh Din attorney Michael Sfarad states the agencies responsible for upholding the law have done nothing to alleviate the situation.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)