Arson ale

Gaza border farmers to make beer from wheat that survived fires

Profits from Gaza Border Beer will go toward helping make up the shortfall caused by months of arson

By Sam Sokol 24 December 2018, 9:17 pm

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Sam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

Illustrative. A firefighter extinguishing a fire in a field near the Gaza Strip that was sparked by a flaming object flown from the Palestinian enclave, on June 5, 2018. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

JTA — Farmers on the Gaza border who lost much of their wheat crop in Hamas fires are teaming up with a local brewery to make beer.

They will use their remaining wheat to produce Gaza Border Beer, whose profits will go toward helping make up the shortfall caused by months of arson, Ynet reported.

Since April, some 1,729 acres of wheat fields have been burned by Gaza Palestinians sending incendiary kites and balloons over the security fence, causing millions of shekels in damage to the local agricultural sector. Despite the risk of fire, local residents have largely refrained from fleeing, telling JTA that they are determined to stay put.

“I cannot be indifferent to the heartwrenching scenes of burning fields. My heart goes out to the farmers,” Ori Sagi, the founder of Alexander Brewery, which is making the limited-run beer, told Ynet.

Sagi called the beer “excellent” and said it”showcases the quality wheat grown by our dear friends.”