Review: "The Settlers" - The world should be ashamed
I eventually watched Louis Theroux’s “The Settlers”, I deliberately ensured I didn’t read anything about it so I could go in without any spoilers.
Louis Theroux is unique in the way he does his documentaries, he lets people say what they want without too much input from him. He is the ultimate observer of people looking for the answers to his questions without asking them directly, he is the master of getting peoples guards down.
As a documentary The Settlers does a good job of highlighting the mindset of those settling and stealing (because thats what they are doing) land in the West Bank. These self proclaimed Zionists from the very beginning are seen describing the West Bank as a Jihadist State and not as Palestine but Judea.
We see settlers watch Gaza burn from afar like others watch a sunset, highly disturbing.
Quickly surpassed when Louis interviews Danielle White (the godmother of the settler movement) and you realise that these people have designs not on just the West Bank but are planning settlements in Gaza, whilst people are dying there. Like some 1980’s timeshare scam settlers are seen taking “pre-orders” from families who want to settle there, they have even drawn out maps and plans.
The one word that came to mind whilst watching the documentary was emboldened. I could have used the words sycophantic, sociopathic, extremist, inhumane or arrogant. All words which aptly describe what I saw, but the one word that describes what I watched was the word emboldened. Why I will explain later.
It is clear Danielle White takes great pride in what she is doing, even going as far as to say she is doing what Netanyahu is too afraid to do himself. This is gods work, apparently. Bringing people over from around the world to come and settle in the holy land at the expense of the Palestinians. There is not a single ounce of empathy, it is very telling of the whole movement.
The Settlers shows a snippet into the crazed mindset of Zionists and their outright hatred of Palestinians of all creeds Muslim or not. The delusional beliefs of having some kind of scared right to swathes of land and their immoral crusade to colonise it all.
Through Jewish rabbis calling Palestinians “camel riders” , the daily raids on West Bank homes, the checkpoints, the olive harvest and Danielle White looking more evil by the minute; Loius Threroux paints a picture of what life is like for Palestinians living under occupation.
The beeb after its criticism by Gary Lineker quite possibly wanted to show it was not cow towing to the lobbyists by airing this.
As a whole this is the best you are going to get from mainstream TV, this is not Theroux’s fault but the reality is the BBC is not going to show anything gritter than this.
Back to the word emboldened, this can be seen in the full hour this documentary lasts for. The settlers have no fear of saying and doing whatever they wish, protected by the military. They truly believe no standard applies to them.
There is no better example of this than right at the end in her attempt to explain away settler violence Danielle White violently pushes Louis, who looks visibly shocked. She then asks Louis to push her back ending the conversation with “I like to see you push me back”.
It is this delusional entitlement knowing she is protected sums up the Zionist settler psyche, a result of global inaction to stop them.
The settlers by their own admission are ignoring international law and human rights to carry on building and wanting to build on Palestinian land. Slowly eroding away territory street by street with their final designs on a greater Israel, including all of Lebanon.
At the end you are left with a thought of how is this even possible.
It is possible because the world let it be possible, the US, UK et al. have funded and emboldened the Israeli state which allows the settlers to keep coming. For all their bravado and gun touting those building the settlements and dreaming of homes in Gaza can only do this because no one stops them.
Without this, these ‘brave’ souls would be selling coffee back in Brooklyn or avoiding getting sent to the Ukraine frontline by Putin . It is all too easy to put on a show of force backed by an army against a civilian population under occupation. A population too afraid to even harvest their own Olive groves.
The settlement issue has made a farce out of institutions like the United Nations and legal remit such as international law. It has clearly shown the treachery of the Arab rulers who have done little more than mouth condemnation (if that) for decades. Their military might is stuck in the barracks whilst land is stolen and people killed.
The Settlers says less about Zionism and more about the world that lets it exist.