Israeli gov't gives Jordan Valley farmers drones, rangers to deter 'Palestinian terror state'

The Israeli government distributed drones, rangers, and other equipment to farms in the Jordan Valley last week, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Missions Minister Orit Strock attending the ceremony at Zarzir Farm. This initiative aims to deter what Smotrich called the “vision of a Palestinian terror state by establishing farms and settlements.” The distribution followed the Defense Ministry's establishment of the Eastern Border Directorate, which identifies the border with Jordan as a vulnerable corridor for Iranian-backed weapons. Strock described the Eastern Border plan as a “strategic, reality-changing plan” to expand settled areas and increase residents and settlements. David Elhayani, head of the Jordan Valley Council, emphasized the farmers' role, stating, “The Jordan Valley is the eastern wall of protection for the State of Israel.”