David Ha’ivri, a US-born Israeli political advisor turned tour host, is found leading a group of journalists through Israeli settlements. He is armed with a map of Israel that denotes the disputed West Bank as “Judea and Samaria”. This happens on the day that the Israeli legislature spurned the conception of a Palestinian nation. A day later, the International Court of Justice, headquartered in The Hague, established that Israel’s 57-year occupation of Palestinian lands was unlawful.
The Court’s advisory judgement mandated that Israel halt new settlement constructions and dismantle current ones. However, this decree seems to have minimal impact on the Israeli settlers who regard international jurisprudence with irreverence, claiming to be merely executing divine will by safeguarding the Jewish populace.
Envisaged to herald a period of tranquillity in the region, the Oslo Accords from the 1990s paved the trajectory for a proposed two-nation resolution. Nonetheless, as Israeli Jews continue to stake their claims on increasing tracts of land with militaristic backing, the feasibility of this peace initiative appears doubtful. In contrast to the modest 110,000 in the 1990s, the population of settlers in the West Bank and annexed East Jerusalem has skyrocketed to over 700,000 today.
The Israeli administration stands accused of employing a profusion of tactics to support the settlements, including labelling zones as “state land” and refuting Palestinians’ building applications. This year, Israel declared ownership of 800 hectares of land in the Jordan valley, marking this as the most substantial seizure in the West Bank in 30 years. Last year, Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, was reported to have requested government preparation for an influx of half a million additional settlers. Settler Itamar Ben-Gvir currently presides over Israel’s police force.
In the wake of the Hamas attacks on October 7th, 2023, at least 553 Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as per UN records, have met violent deaths either at the hands of settlers or Israeli armed forces. During the same timeline, 17 Israelis were killed, as per the same UN records.
The oppressive machinery of military jurisdiction and a dual legal system plague Palestinians: they are governed by martial law whereas settlers are abiding by civil law. Palestinian territories are increasingly fragmented, with restrictions imposed via crowding checkpoints or, as I saw on my initial trip to the West Bank, by the fires sparked by settlers. This differential treatment of Israelis and Palestinians in Palestinian lands has been declared a violation of international conventions forbidding apartheid by the ICJ.
During this time, I was given the chance to tour the settlements.
Located first on the list was Chavat Gilad, named in honour of Gilad Zar, a security officer who was fatally ambushed in 2001, and worked for the regional council of West Bank settlements. According to Israeli human rights organisation, B’Tselem, there have been allegations of harassment and aggression towards local Palestinians by Chavat Gilad settlers. Damaging or destroying farmers’ olive trees formed part of the harassment as reported in the Palestinian media. In 2016, the New York Times stated that a Palestinian had been accused of plotting to hurl a Molotov cocktail on the route to Chavat Gilad and was lethally shot by Israeli forces in response.
Upon reaching, our welcome party included Yehuda Shimon, a 50-year old Israeli Jewish lawyer who resides in Chavat Gilad among approximately 100 other families. “This is a tranquil place, full of joy”, he mentioned, though his ideal future envisages it transforming into a large city.
In 2007, Shimon relocated to Chavat Gilad, living initially in a caravan alongside his wife and their five children. Despite the Israeli security forces trying to evict them initially, they persisted, sometimes taking shelter in tents. “We eventually triumphed”, he recounted. With ten children and a more stable dwelling currently, Shimon explained that the Israeli administration had announced plans to sanction the settlement, but the process would be protracted. Once finalised, his plan was to venture to “a new location”.
In the initial period of the settlement, skirmishes with local Palestinians occurred several times daily, but such incidents have ceased now, according to Shimon. Despite not possessing any weapons, he stated that the locals fear them, whereas the settlers are unafraid. He noted that the events of 7th October had no impact on their relations with Palestinians, owing to a lack of interaction. No conversations were held with Palestinians before or currently, he mentions.
Responding to the question of whether the Israeli settlers are aiding in ethnic cleansing, Shimon, somewhat surprisingly, made a light remark saying each dawn, the inhabitants of the settlement visit nearby Palestinian villages and around 100 to 200 Palestinians are killed for amusement.
Shimon is unbothered by global denunciation. “International law, it’s a mere joke, it’s deceit. International law doesn’t exist” he declares. He acknowledges that some of his comrades have also faced what he referred to as “absurd” international penalties, but it hasn’t disrupted their usual lifestyles since it doesn’t affect those who neither travel nor bank overseas.
His perspective on international criticism is dismissive, as he regards the land as rightfully his and believes it has no bearing on others outside. He deems that external criticism of settlers is due to jealousy because “we are the Jewish people… We hail from the Bible…” He expressed, “If God is your belief, you must settle in the place he bestows upon you… This place, there’s no alternate for us.”
Their following destination was Evyatar, a modest settlement near Nablus, identified by the blue Star of David emblazoned on a concrete slab at the entrance. An armed guard monitored the incoming road. Local sources shared that nearly 20 Jewish Israeli families were residing there.
Evyatar was established 11 years back, allegedly on the territories of the Palestinian villages of Beita, Qabalan and Yatma. During their weekly demonstrations against it, at least eight inhabitants of Beita were reportedly killed by Israeli Defence Forces soldiers.
Techiya Chaim, a mother to a large family of ten, believes that the strategic significance of Evyatar lies in its elevated position and geographical locality. She witnesses significant support from the public for their initiatives in the area. In the prior year, a massive mobilisation was recorded where around 50,000 Israelis, including eight ministers and 20 members of parliament, rallied urging the recognition of the settlement under Israeli laws, a demand which was consequently endorsed by Israel’s security council in June. Moving forward, the forthcoming year is marked with Evyatar opening its first kindergarten.
Living a simple lifestyle in Evyatar is Serah Lisson, a woman of 37 years originally hailing from France. She resides with her seven children while her husband serves in the forces in Gaza, battling, according to her, on behalf of every Jew globally, suggesting they are the target of worldwide animosity.
About two decades back, Lisson and her spouse were inhabitants of Gush Katif, a group of Israeli settlements located in the Gaza Strip. She is positive about their eventual return, not just to Gush Katif, but to the entire region of Gaza, a hope she envisions being realised shortly.
Regarding people in favour of a two-state solution, she admits of finding their viewpoints lacking intelligence. According to her, Palestinians, seen as guests in their country, should choose a life, work, and family, rather than being involved in terrorist attacks and grooming their children to kill. Her criticism extends to those advocating for a Palestinian state, whom she believes need to gain first-hand experience of the Arab lifestyle, including the lack of work and their disinterest in educating their children. In her earnest explanation, she mentions Palestinians begging for financial aid only to misuse them for firearms.
Ayelet Shlise (38), Lisson’s neighbour, asserts that discussing a two-nation solution post-October 7th seems nonsensical. She firmly believes no country would concede to those who have harmed its people.
Malkiel Bar-Hai, the security head of the settlers, echoed a typical Zionist belief, stating that Israel was desolate before they arrived.
Sporting an Emtan Rifle, akin to an M40 as he declared, and what seemed to be a pair of compact handguns in his belt, he countered the common allegations of rampant settler aggression towards Palestinians in the West Bank. Denying such claims, he announced, “We are a peace-loving nation … Where’s the evidence of violence? … These are baseless assertions.”
In the close vicinity of Ariel, Yair Chetboun engaged with a map with shades of green and brown. The newly appointed leader of one of the more sizeable West Bank settlements has recently been in the headlines for obstructing the main route to the Palestinian city of Salfit thrice, ignoring even Israeli military orders, while justifying the necessity of this blockade for security purposes.
The settlement of Ariel houses about 22,000 inhabitants. Brimming with pride, Chetboun shared details about Ariel’s various amenities like a hotel and several swimming pools. Moreover, he emphasised that the cost of living is comparatively lower than in cities such as Tel Aviv.
The majority of the area referred to as a “city” by Chetboun remains off-limits to Palestinians. Since the seventh of October, Palestinians have been prohibited from all locations, apart from a bordering industrial zone and a fresh residential area, where they require work permits to enter. Chetboun declared these restrictions essential due to the rising fear amongst Israeli Jewish settlers.
The plans for Ariel’s future involve an expansion of its Jewish Israeli settler population: 40,000 in the upcoming decade and twice as many two decades later. This could mean laying the groundwork for roughly 20,000 fresh residential units within the next ten years.
Chetboun heaped praises on Ariel’s academic institution, which presents itself as a 21st-century university deeply rooted in archaic history and positioned proudly in the spiritual heart of Israel. An advert relayed to the Australian Jewish Association in 2022, claimed that the university – housing seven academic faculties, a 474-member academic staff, and north of 16,000 pupils – has a “massive influence on the entire region, enhancing the health and environment of all local dwellers.” Post the broadcast, a university administrative veteran stated that the Israeli military appreciated cooperation with Ariel University, revealing that the staff contributed to the development of cutting-edge technology, including a gadget to disrupt Palestinian telecommunication networks.
However, Chetboun admitted that the university is currently going through a difficult phase as it is unable to receive research funds from the European Union due to imposed bans. Yet, he anticipates a reversal of this decision by the EU within half a decade.
Chetboun, a former high-ranking official in a special commando unit of the Israeli military, has taken responsibility for the prosperity of the settlements in his vicinity. He believes that if Ariel thrives through educational efforts, the surrounding settlements will follow suit. His military background has taught him the value of vigilance and surveillance in ensuring security. He maintains that strategic depth affords a country the ability to safeguard its territories.
Following the events of 7th October, he asserts that global comprehension of the significance of Israeli settlements in terms of security has heightened. He anticipates Jewish individuals from across the world moving to Ariel, other parts of West Bank, or Israel due to safety concerns prevalent elsewhere.
Even though the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement has indeed hampered Ariel’s business prospects, Chetboun admitted, he also expressed his confidence that everyone ultimately seeks to engage with profitable industries. He perceives Palestinians to pose a security threat, while acknowledging them as a valuable labour force; consequently, he believes Ariel will witness an inflow of international investments.
The concluding part of the journey involved a visit to the Humas Eliyahu restaurant in Eli, near the site of a petrol station where an attack claimed the lives of four Israelis in 2023. Here, the group interacted with Gedaliah Blum, the head of a non-profit organisation named the Heartland Initiative. Blum voiced his objective of normalising the Israeli presence in the occupied West Bank via interpersonal and cultural avenues, including the fundraising for an online tourism booking service, Go East, via private investments.
Despite being born in the US, Blum moved to an Israeli settlement after his first visit on a Birthright programme – sponsored journey for young Jews. He believed in his potential to make a difference in this place and currently resides there with his wife and eight children.
Blum holds the belief that Israeli settlements in occupied areas should be esteemed as “freedom strongholds”. He thinks their size should be increased as, in his opinion, the larger they get, the more beneficial they become. He sees the expansion of these settlements over Arab communities as a positive move as it integrates them into the “ecosystem of a liberal democracy”, albeit with some “separation”. He argues that Palestinians can coexist with Jews, but only under Israeli law.
In contrast, Blum is firm in his belief that a Palestinian state would be the most disastrous thing to occur because it would require the “deprogramming of an entire generation”, which in his view, is in the grip of a hatred epidemic. He likens the concept to entrusting your Lamborghini to a drunken relation.
Nevertheless, a multitude of groups – both Israeli and Palestinian as well as international – have voiced their disagreement with the settlements and land grants. They argue that peace can never be achieved until Israel ceases its occupation. Among these entities is Peace Now, an Israeli organisation against settlements. When provided with a list of settler statements to be included in this feature, Mauricio Lapchik, Peace Now’s director of external relations, observed that the activities align perfectly with the strategy of the current Israeli government under the leadership of Netanyahu, Smotrich and Ben Gvir. This would officially establish a state driven by Jewish dominance from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.
Lapchik went on to state that settlements and illegal outposts do not bring security but rather pose a substantial threat to the region and the future of Israel. He noted that the settlement project, which is entirely illegal, violates Palestinian rights, undermines country security, and drastically hampers future political solutions between Israel and Palestine.
In conclusion, Lapchik stated that the options are distinctly clear. There must either be a political solution or an unending cycle of war and devastation. The choice lies between democracy or occupation, as well-future of separate states or a single apartheid state.