As war in Gaza continues to dominate headlines, another struggle is unfolding in the biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria—what much of the world calls the West Bank. In the town of Tekoa, south of Jerusalem, brothers Yoni and Gadi Afik see their vineyards not just as farmland, but as a fulfillment of the prophet Amos’ words that the mountains would “drip with wine.” Their vines are also part of a larger battle for the land itself, as they believe planting and cultivating the soil strengthens Israel’s hold on its borders. “If you’re not planting, you’re losing your ground,” Gadi explained, as the brothers described agriculture as a living boundary between their community and its neighbors.

Yet their mission was interrupted on October 7, 2023, when both men were called from their vineyards to serve in the Israel Defense Forces in the war against Hamas and Hezbollah. For 230 days, Gadi’s wife and children worked the fields to keep the vineyards alive, even while facing exhaustion and fear. The family saw their perseverance as living out prophecy by literally guarding the land through cultivation. Their efforts gained symbolic backing last month when Israel’s government approved a resolution reaffirming its intent to reclaim control of Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley, areas administered by the military since the Six-Day War of 1967.

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SOURCE: CBN News