Louis Theroux spends time with a small and very committed subculture of ultra-nationalist Jewish settlers. He discovers a group of people who consider it their religious and political obligation to populate some of the most sensitive and disputed areas of the West Bank, especially those with a spiritual significance dating back to the Bible.
Throughout his journey, Louis gets close to the people most involved with driving the extreme end of the Jewish settler movement – finding them warm, friendly, humorous, and deeply troubling.
Louis Theroux spends time with ultra-nationalist Jewish settlers and discovers a small, but very committed subculture.
On a hilltop in the Northern West Bank, not far from the large Palestinian city of Nablus, I met 17-year-old Yair Lieberman.
A part-time labourer and student, Yair’s home was a makeshift canvas-covered structure, only slightly more solid than a tent, which he shared with three other young men. The bed was a tangled mess of sheets, in the style of a conventional teenager’s, and hung around the dwelling were posters – though not of pop groups, but of favourite rabbis. Outside, in the neighbouring lots, was a scattering of fifteen or so caravans and trailers – the outpost of Havat Gilad.
Like the settlements up and down the West Bank, Havat Gilad is illegal under international law. It lies miles inside the territory won by Israel in the 1967 war and the vast majority of the surrounding population is Palestinian. But Havat Gilad is also illegal under Israeli law. Electricity comes from a generator. Water is trucked in.
Yair moved up to Havat Gilad a couple of years ago. On a tour around the hilltop, I asked him why he’d decided to make his life in this ramshackle encampment, at the end of a dirt road, on an inhospitable hilltop among Arab olive groves.
“If we’re not here there’s a [Palestinian] city and we don’t want another [Palestinian] city,” he said.
What, I wondered, would be so bad about another Palestinian city?
“Because it’s my land! It’s the land of Israel. It’s not the land of Palestinians.”
Yair’s beliefs are shared by a hardcore religious nationalist fringe of Jewish Israelis who have chosen to make their home up and down the West Bank and in East Jerusalem. They say that those areas belong by right to the Jewish people – a title claim based mainly on the bible.
The fact that there are nearly ten times as many Arabs as there are Jews in the West Bank, with their own dreams of a national homeland, they regard as a side-issue.
I was making a documentary about these ultra-nationalist Jewish settlers, called The Ultra-Zionists. For several weeks I’d been spending time in some of the most hardcore and uncompromising sections of the Israeli nationalist community – the Jewish enclave in Hebron, in the hilltops in the north of the West Bank, and in the crowded Arab neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem – choosing to come at a time when peace talks were ongoing and the extreme settlers were therefore more embattled.
February 18, 2011 at 7:17 am | Nadiah
“We either pack our bags and go back to the ovens of Auschwitz, and I’ll go back to the shores of Australia, or this is our land and it means fighting for it”
lol. Mate. We live in a paradise with the Great Barrier Reef and lobsters the size of canoes. If you want to choose some shitty desert and pissed off neighbours who want to kill you, then there’s no reasoning with you; not about a Palestinian state nor anything else.
February 18, 2011 at 3:26 pm | robert
I think he was already in the great barrier reef and a lobster the size of a canoe managed to enter his head by his ears, and it never found the way out, he has been unable to hear properly, and has his understanding impaired badly as consequence of that. The lobster headed syndrome I think they call it. No cure, sorry.
February 21, 2011 at 5:57 am | Abaid
Strange love b/w jews and arabs. Its a love without tolerance.Jews have a bit more tolerance than arabs. Overall its a very strange documentary. i love it
February 23, 2011 at 4:14 pm | david
im just sad that people will see this and think that all Israelis are like that…
im an Israeli and for me those are people with the just the same mentality as suicide bombers.
July 30, 2011 at 2:56 pm | Zacky
Louis specifically pointed out Ultra Zionists in his documentary so the viewer should expect ultra zionists, It didnt say Louis Theroux in Israel.
In the program there was also Israelis who were protesting with the Palestinians in there.
If people are not anti-semite they will know that there is good hearted israelis too.. and not brush them all over as Ultra Zionists. just as you cant label all muslims as terrorists.
In our todays society is much easier with labeling. Muslims labeling all Jews as evil.
Some jews labeling all Muslims as people who wanna get rid of all jews..
etc.. etc..
February 23, 2011 at 4:39 pm | david
i still blame religion…
February 24, 2011 at 4:16 am | Sam
as a white american, i would be pretty pissed if millions of people invaded my state of illinois by “divine right.”
July 25, 2011 at 1:38 pm | Smack
Native Americans would agree. Manifest Destiny and all that.
July 25, 2011 at 1:38 pm | Smack
Native Americans would agree. Manifest Destiny and all that.
March 21, 2011 at 6:58 am | Alexandra
BBC blocked it?!
Shame on you if that’s true! You bastards! This is the only way I can hope to get some form of decent news on the world. Shame on you!!!
March 21, 2011 at 7:03 am | Alexandra
Seriously! I am really pissed off about this! Is anyone else being blocked off from watching this documentary? Censorship only makes people more inqusitive remeber that! If you also can’t watch this, post here ok!!!
March 21, 2011 at 7:06 am | Alexandra
Ah, never fear, YouTube is here! Enjoy!
May 15, 2011 at 4:31 am | mal
Looks like the Jewish people have taken over the role of the Nazi`s.
November 16, 2011 at 2:49 am | Hykomdamor
disgusting and ignorant comment by a person who needs to be educated and stop spouting out incredibly offensive and incorrect bullshit
May 26, 2011 at 3:15 am | Jane
This documentary saddens me. As a Jew with family in Israel I can tell you that most Israelis are not like the people in this film. I know my family (and me as well) cannot stand the settlers who feel the need to invade the West Bank. They are just causing trouble and creating hatred that need not exist.
May 26, 2011 at 3:15 am | Jane
This documentary saddens me. As a Jew with family in Israel I can tell you that most Israelis are not like the people in this film. I know my family (and me as well) cannot stand the settlers who feel the need to invade the West Bank. They are just causing trouble and creating hatred that need not exist.
July 30, 2011 at 3:00 pm | Zacky
Apparently in their mind, they are fulfilling a prophecy, as you saw with Australian-Israeli who was almost struggling to get more jewish settlers to fill up the land.
I written it before, and I say it again,
it didn’t generalize Israel. It said Ultra Zionists,
Louis is a great journalist and fair journalist, I am sure he is aware of the labeling wont get any point across.
November 16, 2011 at 2:48 am | Hykomdamor
the west bank settlements are annexed by israel , and as such dont breach any international law, also the settler movement is popular amongst many israelis , but not the extreme settler movement who believe in murder and ethnic cleansing
the mainstream settler movement simply believe in strengthening the jewish majority in israel
June 2, 2011 at 10:48 pm | Edmundo Soto
It is sad to see that the intransigence of a few extremist is causing so many problems, conflict, and so much pain, death, and desolation. I am Mexican-American, I don’t side with either side, I just side with what is just, fair, and ethical. I wish all jewish brothers and sisters, as well as all Palestinian brothers and sisters could live in peace and harmony… we all owe it to our children. May God bless us all.
December 20, 2011 at 1:18 pm | scibellitowin
Ummm, I think it’s the gods that seem to be cursing us.
June 8, 2011 at 12:52 pm | Dee see
More predictable demoralization ops at the service of the Globalist
EUGENICS agenda (genuine culture STUPID/ people STUPID/ too many
people—-it’s all HOPELESS).
All brought to you by the elite, state propaganda arm BBC.
July 9, 2011 at 2:30 am | Stand_For_Justice
To those Israelis who claim that this does not represent Israel, the only reason you say that is because the land you live on was stolen long ago while these settlers are on the frontiers. What is shown in this video is the true past, present and future of the true face of Israeli colonialism. Maybe you are second or third generation born on that land, instead of just coming recently from “the shores of Australia,” but how did your grandparents get to Israel? They were manipulated by the same system that manipulates those incredibly stupid settlers (not to mention those Christian Zionist slave laborers).
February 16, 2012 at 7:42 pm | what "justice"?
i am an israely. i am a pasifist who refused to serve in the army. i am against the occupation and most people i know (i live in tel-aviv which i admit is the most liberal-left-wing city) are against it too.
however, i do feel a need to pount this out – my granparent got to israel after the nazis killed their entire families and abused them in ways you can’t even imagin. it does’nt justify oocupation (which is caused, to my opinion, by the wrong conclusion: “we will never let anything like this happen to us again” instead of “we will never let anything horrible happen to anyone” – the occupation doesn’t even resemble the hollocaust but is not exactly nice).
my grandparent are the most gentle, harmless, moral people i know – be aware, when you critisize other for racizm, not to fall for that dangerous generalizations yourself…
July 16, 2011 at 12:05 pm | Ok
This seems like a pretty standard operation as far as humanity goes. Too greedy or lazy to make due with what you have? Use various forms of religion A. to rationalize being ignorant of religion B’s human rights. Rinse and repeat.
July 16, 2011 at 12:10 pm | Ok
Also, I find it highly ironic that Daniels opinion on how the world views what is happening to the Palestinians as “the worlds problem” is so strikingly similar to the Nazi parties stance on how the world felt about the attacks on the Jews. Neither seem to think they could possibly be in the wrong, it’s the whole world that is wrong instead.
July 16, 2011 at 12:10 pm | Ok
Also, I find it highly ironic that Daniels opinion on how the world views what is happening to the Palestinians as “the worlds problem” is so strikingly similar to the Nazi parties stance on how the world felt about the attacks on the Jews. Neither seem to think they could possibly be in the wrong, it’s the whole world that is wrong instead.
July 30, 2011 at 3:04 pm | Zacky
This is almost the equivalent of someone coming to your home, and having an ancient book in one hand, and a gun in the other hand.
and forcing you to go out of the home, as it says in the 3000-4000 year old book that my people use to live here, So is my divine right.
It just comes across very silly and unfortunate, and the Palestinians wont solve any issue
with the little stone throwing and at most the rockets.. it wont get them anywhere,
play diplomatically play civilized maybe after that we can get progress,
even though there is some Israelis as you can see here that clearly wants ethnic cleansing.
November 16, 2011 at 2:45 am | IHykomdamor
firstly your’e over simplifying the situation
there has been a jewish presence in that land for thousands of years , there is not only a reliigous but a cultural and historical connection to the land
it is th eonly state in the world recognised through the UN
making it the MOST legitimate country……
also dont be so stupidly naive …palestinian” stone throwing at most the rockets” try living here during the 2 intifada’s , suicide bombings , capturing and murdering soldiers men , women , children
the ramallah lynch
dont think israel is such a bad country when you realise that if a israeli walks into ramallah he is lynched literally!
but if you come to tel aviv or any other city and see a women with a hijab , nothing happens to her….. now you tlel me who is the aggressor.
and FYI the proportion of “ultra zionists” in relation to jews is actually smaller than “extremists” in the muslims.
a political party in israel named Kach , was banned as a terrorist orginsation for wanting the moving of palestinians to jordan
and then you look over into gaza and the west bank…. hamas and fatah!
those are terrorist groups , sending suicide bombers and countless rockets into israel targetting anyone regardless of age or sex , and then look at what you call the ultra zionists
there is a huge contrast in the rhetoric used and the message being sent
November 18, 2011 at 5:00 pm | Sonny Diablo
First of all Israel is not a country, it’s a state and there is a huge difference.
Secondly, it is not, as you say “the MOST legitimate”, it is actually the most arbitrary because it’s creation was actually an imposition of the New World Order oligarchy, thus it is part of their agenda for world domination through the UN.
Third, the violence that comes from the Israeli side is institutionalized because it comes from it’s government goons like the infamous butcher Ariel Sharon a few years ago.
I believe most Israelis are decent peace loving individuals, therefore the craziness of the “ultra zionists” does not reflect on Israel as a people. It only shows that there is a portion of the population that aligns itself with the madmen in their government who are pushing, together with other madmen around the world, for world fascism where they are the dictators and all the people around the world become their serfs.
I truly wish for the people on both sides of this equation to put aside differences and try to work a peaceful solution to their conflict without letting the madmen of the New World Order getting in the way.
August 29, 2011 at 3:32 am | Kerrirusnak
what is with the 12 step process to watch this video???! How frustrating!!!!!
November 16, 2011 at 4:13 am | Anonymous
Jews are back in Israel.
Rome is just a pile of rubble and will stay so for eternity.
So are all other nations and religions.
Judaism is Eternal and this is why everyone hates the Jews.
Hate us or love us, the bottom line is that the Jew stays. – Simple.
November 18, 2011 at 5:05 pm | Sonny_diablo
Not everyone hates the Jewish people Daniel_Jew, everyone just hates you!
November 20, 2011 at 3:30 am | Anonymous
why?
November 20, 2011 at 2:03 pm | Sonny_diablo
Hahahaaa! It was a sardonic answer to your stupid comment. If you don’t want to get ironic replies then stop posting preposterous comments. Not everybody hates the Jewish people, Rome is not just a pile of rubble, neither are all other nations and religions. Stop acting upon your oversimplified and ethnocentric version of reality, wake up and smell the chorizo!
November 20, 2011 at 6:25 pm | Anonymous
Rome, Greece, Persia, Egypt, Nazi Germany, USSR … all ARE piles of rubble. Geographically people still live in those places but they have nothing in common with those empires. Everyone knows that Italians are not Romans.
On the other hand, Jews have been faithful to the Torah which informs them of how to live through the millennia, and despite all those empires trying to destroy Judaism and the Jewish People, the Jewish People are, and remain, Eternal.
Islam (Arabs) and Christianity (West) can’t stand to see Jews coming back to Israel because it proves that the prophecies in the Torah are true and it makes it clear that Christianity and Islam are false religions.
The only viability that these religions have is only due to their “similarity” to Judaism. Note that both of these religions used Judaism as a starting point. If you wanted to start a new religion why do you need to subvert an existing religion? The answer is that no one really questioned the Truth of Judaism, but it was an inconvenient truth, which is why they had to rely on Judaism when they invented their new religions.
Today Israel is fighting yet another struggle in a long series of struggles throughout history, but I can assure you that when the dust settles the Jews will be stronger than ever and their enemies will be once again relegated to the History pages and to various museums. Maybe they will even make it to the History Channel, if they are lucky.
The Torah says that those who stand by Torah, Jews and non-Jews, will be blessed, and those who don’t, will not.
Choose your side.
December 6, 2011 at 1:07 am | Joel
David, you certainly don’t spreak for all Jews I am glad to say… the modern state of Israel is NOT Jewish, and any Jew who lives outside of Israel in peace with their country of residence knows one thing about the creators and leaders of Israel – they are blasphemers.
We are not to enter the land of Zion through force, nor to wage agression, but are led there peacefully. Those who have and continue to lead Jews to Israel are false Messiahs acting in rebellion against God.
Any attempt to hasten the coming of the Messiah thorugh human intervention will simply delay the time, and lead to more Jewish persecution until that happens, and anger God.
Nobody hates Jews, they simply destest the political Zionists who are responsible for betraying God and all Chosen People.
To any Israelis reading this, can I simply say:
I am not endorsing rebellion against government, but you are being betrayed by the Zionists who do not believe in God’s power to lead you to Zion. They are traitors to the Chosen.
Go out and make peace with your neighbours, with the Arabs who surround you. They too will be Chosen as they follow God’s law and seek to understand God. Do not be fooled by the Zionists, your brothers around the world depend on you to peacefully enter Zion. Invite your Arab brothers to talk with you, into your homes, and into your hearts.
Do not allow the soldiers to give you orders. Do not play the games of the politicians, the IDF or Hamas. Ignore them for they are betraying everyone.
I wish you all peace, and hope that God shows you the path that the betrayers will not.
December 8, 2011 at 4:16 am | Anonymous
You are a TYPICAL anti-semite because you are in effect saying that you don’t hate the Jews as long as they don’t choose to live in Israel.
I don’t know where you got your non-sense about what the Jews should or should not do in regards to the Land of Israel.
As far as the Arabs, why don’t YOU invite them to your heart and home and country and see for yourself where it gets you.
November 21, 2011 at 7:04 am | Dr Clester
I like to think I’m not antisemitic but whenever I watch films or clips of this nature I can’t help but think to myself “fucking jews” and what I mean by jews is zionists of course but that’s the mainstream jewish voice
November 22, 2011 at 4:37 am | Anonymous
Why people are so easy being “righteously indignant” about Israel and the Jews?
I don’t know where you are from but wherever it is, are you Equally indignant about matters closer to your home?
Of course not!
The whole story of Christianity is to fault the Jews and blame them for the problems of others. What would be a better proof then the dumb accusation that Jews killed jesus, whom the Christians believe was a god, and as a result the whole world is hell as opposed to paradise.
Nothing has changed in that respect but rest assured that the Jews will remain Eternaly Victorious.
November 29, 2011 at 5:42 pm | Langer
People forced to leave their houses, leaving most they own behind. Graffitis on storefronts etc. so many similarities to antisemitism in Nazi Germany.
February 4, 2012 at 8:22 pm | SeanyP
Religion began thousands of years ago for one reason which was to give people good morals and nothing more, theres nothing good about religion today from what i can see
February 11, 2012 at 3:14 am | Brendanbrown12
“We either pack our bags and go back to the ovens of Auschwitz, and I’ll go back to the shores of Australia, or this is our land and it means fighting for it”
Stay in Israel. We don’t your kind here.