Suspected Palestinian poisoning of goats at Jewish farm in Binyamin raises broader concerns

Poisoned bait or the carcasses of poisoned animals can enter the wider ecosystem, potentially killing other animals.

By Josh Hasten, JNS

A herd of goats at a Jewish farm in the Binyamin region of southern Samaria appears to have been targeted in a poisoning attack last week, after two goats began showing signs of distress and the farm owners discovered pieces of pita laced with a suspected toxic substance scattered across their grazing area.

The incident occurred on Wednesday near David’s Fortress Farm, located between the Palestinian village of Al-Mughayyir and the Allon Road, north of Ramallah.

The farm’s owner, Evyatar Karo, told JNS that two of the goats began foaming at the mouth after eating the suspected poisoned bait.

The farmers were able to intervene and remove the herd before more of the animals could consume the tainted bread.

The goats showing symptoms were saved, which Karo called “a miracle.”

According to Karo, this was not an isolated case. He said it was the fourth such incident involving his herd of 100 goats, with several having previously died from poisoning.

In those cases, he said, suspected poison was placed inside dates. The gates were opened, the toxic material inserted and then it was scattered in areas where the goats graze.

Karo believes the perpetrators came from Al-Mughayyir. In a previous instance, he said, farmers arrived at the grazing area about 30 minutes after observing several people leave homes in the village.

They then encountered several Arab men in the area, who claimed they had simply been walking there. The farmers subsequently discovered dates laced with suspected poison.

He acknowledged that the available evidence was insufficient to make arrests but said he believes those individuals were connected to the poisoning.

Karo notified the relevant authorities following the latest incident.

The farmers warn that the danger extends beyond their own herd. Poisoned bait or the carcasses of poisoned animals can enter the wider ecosystem, potentially killing other animals.

“If a dog eats the poison and dies, and a vulture eats [the dog], then the bird dies,” Karo said, describing what he called a chain reaction that can affect other wildlife.

Karo said the repeated attacks appear intended not only to kill the goats but also to prevent the family from bringing its herd into the area.

He said the use of poisoned food to target livestock is a broader phenomenon in Judea and Samaria, including incidents involving poisoned water sources.

‘We are not afraid.’

Evyatar Karo and his wife, Batya, established David’s Fortress Farm in 2025. The couple, who are in their mid-30s, have seven children.

The farm is named in memory of David Libi, a civilian contractor from Binyamin who was working with the IDF when he was killed in Gaza in May 2025.

Karo said the family intends to continue operating despite the repeated attacks.

“We are not afraid,” he said. “We will continue to go out here in the Land of Israel despite all the intimidation and the poisonings, the blocking of trails and the attempts to prevent us from being here.”

He called on Israeli authorities to treat the incidents as part of a broader phenomenon rather than as isolated cases.

“We call on the police to take this seriously and not in an isolated way,” Karo said. “They need to understand that this is a widespread phenomenon. They need to find the people responsible.”

He also called for the involvement of the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) in investigating the incidents.

Yisrael Ganz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council, told JNS that the poisoning of livestock herds, which he said has recently spread across Binyamin and elsewhere in Judea and Samaria, is a dangerous phenomenon.

He called on security forces to act with the utmost determination to find those responsible and bring them to justice.

“This is a warning sign for the security forces: Arab rioters are starting by poisoning animals, and if we do not respond in time and create the necessary deterrence, they may move on to harming the brave residents themselves,” Ganz said.

He added that the incident was not merely property damage, an agricultural incident, or the serious abuse of defenseless animals.

“This is terrorism in every sense of the word, an attempt to destroy the livelihoods of farmers, cause them severe economic damage, and drive them off the land, thereby weakening Israel’s presence and sovereignty.

“I call on the security forces to act with full force against the terrorists, track down both those who carried out these attacks and those who sent them, and stop this phenomenon now, before it spreads and, God forbid, develops into something even more serious and dangerous,” Ganz said.

The IDF declined to comment on the incident.

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