West Bank Settlements: it is worse than you think
JVL Introduction
The reaction to Louis Theroux’s documentary which showed us much about the reality of settler strength (and power) in the West Bank, has been widespread and interesting. As well as the inevitable criticism, there have been some articles showing that he understated the problem. Dimi Reader in a New Statesman article points out that Theroux and the BBC by focusing on the extremists risk making the settlers seem like outliers. That article states that “The reality is that settlements aren’t just cosy suburbs, eco-resorts and hilltop encampments; they spread over more than 30 industrial zones, shopping malls, colleges (including a sizeable university) and dormitory towns. ”
In the article that we reproduce below, the emphasis is on how much worse it is than Theroux was able to show. The focus is, again, on Masafer Yatta, but we know that similar things are happening across the West Bank. Of course, settlers are considered full citizens of Israel and can vote and stand for election to the Israeli Parliament. They are at the heart of this government and Netanyahu is beholden to some of the most extreme of them, Ben Gvir and Smotrich.
The article is wide ranging, from the loss of Palestinians’ freedom to roam the hills with their sheep, to the reality of settler attacks, home and water cistern demolitions, the plight of local documentary makers (even Oscar winners) and the experience of Jewish solidarity activists.
LL
This article was originally published by Tribune. Read the original here.
Israeli Settlers are Erasing the West Bank
Louis Theroux’s recent documentary about settler violence in the West Bank drew attention to the plight of the region — but in the Hebron Hills, where Palestinians and Jewish activists face settler devastation, the reality is even more shocking.
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Sadly, anything even slightly more exposing than the Theroux documentary (or by anyone less well known) and it would never have got past the BBC censorship.
I am 82 years old and in reasonable health. I would like, before my number is called, to experience a situation in which the slightest criticism of Israel is not answered as ‘Anti-Semitism’ or simply forbidden. I doubt whether it will happen.