Ever since the Palestinian Authority proposed the Fayyad Plan, they have been encouraging the establishment of Palestinian farms as a way to win the "silent war" over land. In recent years, however, Israeli agricultural outposts protecting state-owned lands have been gaining momentum, reversing the trend as more and more land returns to Jewish control and Palestinian farms are pushed back. To combat this, the Palestinian Authority has been investing substantially, providing Arab farms with extensive aid, funds, and equipment.
A new initiative aiming to counter this phenomenon is the "Carts of Strength" project. Founded by a group of IDF special forces veterans, the program will provide dozens of farms with trailer carts packed with equipment to help establish and expand Israeli farm land. About 40 carts are planned for purchase and delivery to 40 agricultural outposts across the Negev, Galilee, and Judea and Samaria. Each cart will contain extensive construction and farming tools, enabling volunteers to develop the farms, to cultivate agriculture, and also to establish observation points, rest areas, and memorial sites in honor of fallen soldiers from the war.
The project organizers have partnered with 40 bereaved families who lost their sons in the war. Each cart will be dedicated to memorializing one of the fallen, featuring his photo and quotes from his writings. Inside will be agricultural tools such as mattocks, hoes, spades, and rakes, alongside construction equipment like welders, drills, electric saws, and protective safety gear for volunteers, with each cart valued at tens of thousands of shekels.
"Since the beginning of the war, each of us sadly knows quite a few friends who have fallen, and we wondered how best to commemorate them," says Yonatan, one of the project's initiators. "We chose this project that will enable agricultural farms to grow and expand, because we believe that there is no more fitting memorial than a deep connection to the land for which they gave their lives."
Shachar, wife of Staff Sergeant Yehuda, a Golani reconnaissance fighter killed in battle in Lebanon, said: "It's deeply moving for us to be part of this special project. Yehuda had a strong connection to farming, and I hope this project will help farms grow, develop, and carry on his legacy."
"These carts are a real force multiplier for us, and we're eagerly awaiting their arrival," said Michael, a partner in establishing a farm in Binyamin. "I have no doubt that seeing the photos and quotes of the fallen on the carts will give us all a great deal of motivation and spirit as we work."
"When they first approached me about commemorating Roey through this project, they were nervous, unsure how I would take it," shares Orit, mother of the late Major Roey, commander of the "Orev" Company in the Nachal Reconnaissance Battalion, who fell in a heroic battle on October 7th. "After all, we're a family from the center of the country with no connection to farming and land-building. But to me, it's actually very moving, not only because it strengthens the bond with the land that Roey so loved and fell for, but also because it builds a bridge between different people and creates special connections, which is just like the way Roey was."
