To wonder how people justify the west Bank settlements

Why are people who don't support settlements telling others what settlers think and feel? Do you not see the harm that is doing? You are putting words in people's mouths. You are making assumptions. You don't know anything about it but you're making people think you do, and they'll take your words to be the truth. You're spreading hatred.

I am talking about the multiple posters who have made assumptions and then not even attempted to back them up with any kind of interview etc.

I don't support settlements and will therefore not be able to answer the question of why others do.

It is so sad and angering. I was in OEJ this year and was horrified at how many Israeli flags were flying from homes, they have all been taken over. And then these stealing, immoral, heartless settlers then have the cheek to say they need security because Palestinians want to harm them. Yes, I'd want to harm you too if you stole my house!

This is really sad. I wasn’t aware.

@Pennina I understood what you were saying 💐.

I think they justify it by saying that the Jews needed a country of their own after the holocaust and that as the Arabs had the whole of the Middle East the Jews could have Palestine

I also saw this mini documentary about it by a filmmaker from Tel Aviv, Iris Zaki. She interviews settlers in a more ‘hippy commune’ and she’s got a really cool style, she’s direct and people are very honest in return. I found it so interesting to see the different perspectives.

There’s a lot of religious fundamentalism and sadism really, when you see and hear how settlers are harassing and terrorising Palestinians, old and young. They don’t seem mentally sound and I think that kind of violence is not only going to be limited to seizing land… it’s a disturbing thing for Israel too in the long run… something I always worry about is domestic violence which is always tied to other expressions of male violence.
This is an article about the opportunistic violence of the past two months as world focus is on Gaza, it’s unnerving

https://www.972mag.com/hebron-area-settler-violence-expulsions/

How is it that there are no sanctions against Israel for such violations of international law?

No i understand that and appreciate the honesty. Was making an additional observation of how they decry the wires but fail to see how they have literally gone and kicked a family out without seeing the irony of the situation

My point feral and chaitales is that settling there is not the right thing to do. I'm not defending it, or blaming Palestinians. I was describing how it is in some settlements - just adding to the discussion about why settlers go there. I do not agree with settlements.

Plus blaming Palestinians for them having to live with barbed wire - this takes away from their freedom I assume

Definitely NOT watching that! I have seen it in real life, and my ex-BIL has a scar to prove it. I don't need a brain aneurysm tonight, I'm far too young to die still!

Back on topic, though, I was just speaking with a Palestinian friend of mine and asked him this very question. He's got a relevant doctorate and is just, generally speaking, a very well informed person and my favourite on analysis. He, literally, explains British politics better than I do, and he has never lived in the UK. I was interested in his perspective, so I asked him.

His take:

• basically a lot of things that have been mentioned on this thread already (policy, ideology, religious conviction, economics, ...)
• "but, ultimately, it's because they genuinely think we matter less"

Yes large house with garden for the Israelis and a tarpaulin tent for the Palestinians, because they were forced off their land to make way for the large house with garden 😞

I watched the LT documentary, I challenge anyone to watch it and claim Israel is not an apartheid state. My blood was literally boiling at that man Daniel, arriving 5 minutes ago from Australia and saying the land was his and the Palestinians living there had no claim to it and should just find somewhere else to live.

Yep, it's horrific. It really is disgusting that settlers are just allowed to get on with it. It may be illegal, but they're still there...

I personally against them too. Those that do settle put themselves and their families at great risk of attacks. All too often there are dreadful attacks and murders. Horrific too. Some settlers are idealistic/religious and others do it for economic reasons. It's much cheaper to buy there, for many it is the difference between a small flat and a large house with a garden. We have friends who settled for economic reasons. It is not far over the line but far enough. They live in a village surrounded by razor wire with armed guards. Two army check points to go through to get there. Our friends are armed.

Thanks for that, I love Louis. Will be interested to see how you can 'balance' illegal land grabbing.

There's a very interesting and balanced Louis theroux documentary on the subject from about 10 years ago.

BBC iplayer. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00ybyxp

This. The settlers believe they don't need to abide by any rules because God gave them permission to live there. The terror group Hilltop Youth terrorize Palestinians, driving them out of the homes by shooting/attacking/storming the house, set up illegal (even in Israeli law) gate posts which basically are the beginning of a new settlement. They basically then claim ownership of the land. The government then gives them permission to stay there and grants them ownership. Settlers basically are a law of their own, the IDF stand back and let them get on with it. It's just legitimized murder/land grabbing/intimidation with the goal to expel Palestinians and take over the WB.

There are a whole bunch of them, arguably the most prominent ones within the present givernment being Jewish Power (Ben Gvir's party), Religious Zionism (Smotrich's), and Noam.

That said, today's Likud should really also be seen as "way too the right" from what even that of Sharon (until 2005). They're typically not classified as "far-right" because of their neoliberalism on "all things other than Palestinians".

@Parkingt111 Ah, I don't know. Likud is right wing, but I haven't looked into the other parties, who I suppose are further to the right. I would think these are the parties that the public objected to, though.

Oh really I didn't know that
So which is considered the far right party?