Louis Theroux exposes Israeli occupation: Five key takeaways from 'The Settlers'

British-American journalist Louis Theroux's long-awaited documentary 'The Settlers' aired on the BBC on Sunday, delivering a stark and unflinching portrayal of life under Israeli apartheid in the occupied West Bank.

Theroux travels across the occupied Palestinian territories, spending time with radical Israeli settlers, including Daniella Weiss, known as the "Godmother" of the settler movement, and meeting Palestinians whose lives have been shattered by decades of military occupation and aparthied.

The journalist exposes how Israeli settlers, often immigrants from around the world, come to Palestine to seize Palestinian land, reinforcing a brutal colonial system.

Here are five key takeaways from the documentary:

1. Extremist settler plans to colonise Gaza

Theroux visits a settler jamboree in the occupied West Bank where figures like Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, himself a far-right extremist, openly call for establishing illegal settler outposts in Gaza and for the violent expulsion of Palestinians, a grave breach of international law.

At the event, settlers celebrated, held propaganda workshops, and broadcast their colonial ambitions to the world.

One attendee told Theroux she supported resettling Gaza, declaring, "Gaza is ours, and we need to be living there."

Israeli settlers often cite biblical texts to claim exclusive rights to Palestinian land. However, legal scholars and historians note that international law, not religious belief, governs territorial sovereignty.

2. Meeting the 'Godmother' of extremist settlers

Prominent extremist Daniella Weiss, a vocal architect of the settler-colonial project, is heavily featured in the film. She boasts of helping establish "almost every" illegal settler outpost in the West Bank and claims she wields major influence over the Israeli government.

Weiss brazenly described her criminal activities as a "light felony" and laughed off accusations of war crimes. She further claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - who is wanted by the ICC - supports settlement expansion into Gaza but "cannot say it publicly".

Weiss revealed she had recruited 800 Israeli families ready to move into Gaza. She even attempted to enter Gaza herself, reportedly escorted by Israeli soldiers who defied orders to aid her reconnaissance missions.

When asked about a two-state solution or a single democratic state with equal rights for Palestinians, Weiss flatly rejected coexistence, insisting on maintaining a Jewish-supremacist state.

Despite mountains of evidence, Weiss absurdly denied the reality of settler violence against Palestinians, parroting settler propaganda that dismisses documented attacks as "incomplete narratives".

3. Some Israelis reject settler expansion into Gaza

In contrast to the far-right settlers, a group of Israeli protesters gathered near the jamboree, calling for a ceasefire and the release of captives, and rejecting colonial fantasies of reoccupying Gaza.

"I think the idea of resettling Gaza is absolutely ridiculous," one protester told Theroux. "The question is: what kind of country do we want to be? A coloniser or a peacemaker?"

4. Palestinians living under apartheid: 14 years later

Theroux revisits Palestinian communities 14 years after his 2010 documentary, only to find the situation has worsened dramatically.

In cities like Hebron, Palestinians live under an apartheid regime, facing systematic violence, land theft, and movement restrictions enforced by Israeli settlers and soldiers.

While settlers roam freely, Palestinians are subjected to humiliating military checkpoints within their own towns, and basic freedoms have been systematically stripped away.

"It's about fragmented life, restricted life for Palestinians. No quality of life," Palestinian activist Issa Amro told Theroux, describing the intensifying campaign of forced displacement, which has accelerated since October 2023.

Entire Palestinian communities now live in fear behind closed doors, with many shops forcibly shuttered by Israeli military orders.

5. Israeli army's role in enforcing apartheid

Throughout the documentary, Theroux captures the Israeli army's complicity in reinforcing settler-colonial domination. Under the false pretext of "protecting" settlers, soldiers routinely harass, surveil, and attack Palestinian civilians.

From preventing Palestinian farmers from harvesting olives to raiding Palestinian homes, Israeli forces play an active role in enabling settler violence and sustaining the system of occupation.

Theroux concludes that, based on everything he witnessed, "the settler dream shows no sign of abating" - a chilling reality for millions of Palestinians living under siege.