Benjamin settlers expand a desert farm and rebuild from scratch

Three years ago, Bat Chen and Dror moved with their children to the Benjamin Desert, near Mitzpeh Dani, to build a practical Zionist farm. Today, their farm, Ruach Haaretz, spans about 20,000 dunams and is described as a strategic stretch of land that was once empty and neglected. The family says the goal is to settle and restore the land through daily farm work and a close connection to the soil.

Dror says securing the area required years of confrontation with a nearby illegal Bedouin Palestinian outpost, Ma'ayer a-Deir, which he says had about 25 families and was linked to theft, extortion, smuggling and heavy agricultural damage. He says that over two years the family pushed back people who tried to enter the settlement lands, nature reserves and fire zones, until the outpost residents eventually dismantled their structures and left.

He also recounts a violent clash on a Saturday, when a metal rod was swung at Jewish hikers. Dror says he called the local security coordinator and the army, rushed into the fray, and was struck in the head by a masked man he recognized as a former neighbor. He lost consciousness and was taken to hospital. “They shed my blood, but that day they lost their right to the place and disappeared from here,” he said.

The farm now says it is entering a new stage that involves moving deeper into the area and rebuilding everything again from zero. The work already underway includes road opening, laying initial water lines for agriculture and housing, and setting up basic infrastructure. The farm says its regenerative agriculture approach, based on controlled cattle grazing, has reduced erosion, improved water retention and brought vegetation back to the hills. Its crowdfunding campaign is in its final days.