Sitting in the simple caravan that serves as his office Yinon Rosenblum is relaxed and easygoing. Although he grew up in the comparatively big city of Haifa more than thirty years as a farmer on Moshav Na’ama at the southern tip of the Jordan Valley have left their mark: A strong calloused handshake; no-nonsense manner; permanent suntan. Even at first introduction it is hard to imagine him in the city.

Here in the air-conditioned comfort of his caravan the conversation revolves around political instability and market conditions with a little bit of small talk about his family and the social conditions of a tiny community more than thirty miles east of Jerusalem — which considering the terrain can be a rugged trip.

Stepping outside Rosenblum’s manner changes and he is all business. The crunch of the hard ground under his work boots gives him energy and a sense of urgency not only to show off the fruits of his labor but also to be out in the sun and out in the fields he obviously loves. As we head towards his pickup truck it is clear he is familiar with every rock and grain of sand in the area. It is a relationship with nature and with the Land of Israel that one cannot develop amid the concrete and stone of urban living.

The Jordan River Valley which Israel recaptured and repopulated after the 1967 Six Day War is now on the negotiating block once again as peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have resumed … As in Judea and Samaria Jewish residents in the Jordan Valley have lived most of the past twenty years under the threat that the region could be handed to the Palestinians as part of a final peace deal.

Currently most of the region is recognized as “Area C” under the 1994 Oslo accords signed on the White House lawn between then–Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian Liberation Organization head Yasser Arafat. Israel retains full civilian and security control of the region but residents are worried that Prime Minister Netanyahu could dust off a 2009 offer by then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to cede control of the Valley to Abu Mazen.

There has also been talk that Israel might retain just a small security strip along the Jordan River to keep an eye on enemy nations to the east but would evacuate all of the area’s residents and Jewish communities as was done with Gush Katif and with three small Jewish communities in the northern Shomron.

Even if political talks collapse economic realities pose a significant threat to the Jordan Valley’s Jewish residents. European boycotts have already closed potential markets in England Scandinavia and Switzerland and there is a threat they could spread to other countries as well.

In addition Palestinian farmers and businesses enjoy massive support from US and European groups. Trade organizations such as Pal Trade insist the region is essential for the development of a thriving economy in a future Palestinian state. Companies such as Palestine Gardens located just five minutes from Moshav Na’ama enjoy special trading privileges with both the US and European markets. Tareq Abu Khaizaran the president of Palestine Gardens told Mishpacha that Palestinian farmers qualify for USAID money to finance half of their greenhouses and packing plants.

Despite the political and economic concerns Jewish residents continue to live their lives and even to invest in home renovations and business ventures. Several people told Mishpacha that their concern about the future is somewhat offset by the memory of so many rounds of peace talks in the past have led nowhere; it is hard for them to get worked up over the latest round.

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