Anyone watched the Louis Theroux documentary

[Ninerina]

I knew that things were bad for the Palestinians but after watching the documentary I'm so disgusted by the 'settlers' the government of Israel and especially Daniella Weiss.
Palestinians are referred to as savages and camel riders by a rabbi!
Will we get a chorus of how Louis Theroux is anti- semitic now? The usual battle cry of the Israel supporters

This is so true, they were desperate to tell him how they were superior and belonged as it was the promise land. Utterly bizarre viewing and really does cement the injustice of it all.

It is a brilliant documentary and I would strongly urge everyone to watch it. It's clear as day what the Palestinians have been up against for decades from the settlers, the IDF and the Israelo government. Some of my friends who were unaware of how bad it is for the Palestinians in the occupied territories were stunned by the open cruelty displayed in the documentary.

If anyone had any doubt that apartheid practices were carried out against the Palestinians, this documentary would clear those doubts.

Exactly- I agree with all that.

The article does not call LT anti semitic. It just makes the very good point that he doesn’t focus on other extremists - Hamas for example- because he wouldn’t be safe mocking them.

It would be more balanced if he did but really! Who could blame him for choosing extremists that don’t threaten his life?

Where are these rumours that the documentary will get pulled?

A reputable source or people spouting nonsense on Facebook or Reddit?

Pro Israel people can still be against the Settlers as has already been mentioned by other posters. War forces people to take sides but that does mean we won’t criticise anything that Israel does.

You said you support the Israeli Government!

No they said they support Israel.

@Stonecutter you don't think what's happening in Palestine is a genocide??

Amnesty International and the UNHR report have reported that the sheer scale of deaths make it a genocide...

https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/israelopt-genocide-matter-law-and-evidence-not-opinion-and-uk-government-must-ensure

I was utterly fascinated and horrified by it in equal measure, Louis Theroux did an amazing job in a really scary and unsettling place.

Thank you for sharing! Easy enough for some people to say 'it's not a genocide!' And expect that to be taken as fact.

Not everyone believes that Amnesty International are as reliable and unbiased as you evidently do:

https://www.camera.org/article/press-advisory-amnesty-set-to-launch-new-round-of-biased-anti-israel-charges/

https://www.thejc.com/news/baseless-amnesty-international-report-accusing-israel-of-genocide-is-a-blood-libel-against-the-jewish-state-ieddu1kk

Including Amnesty Israel:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/amnesty-israel-rejects-parent-groups-report-accusing-israel-of-genocide-in-gaza/

I'm not attempting to convince you - just pointing out that although they shout 'its a fact that can't be argued with', it doesn't make it indisputable.

I support Israel and its right to exist as well as to defend itself from attacks like October 7th, but I do not agree with everything the Israeli government do. I support a 2 state solution where Palestinians can live peacefully not under Hamas. I can continue if you'd like to, but I'm not sure we're debating in good faith here.

The thread is about settlers and I do not support them. I think the documentary was well-made and I did not find it antisemitic. I do not don my 'Pro-Israel' t-shirt and speak for everyone, but I know a lot of people feel the same as I do. I think this thread is a good opportunity to discuss settlers and the impact on Palestinians, but it's a shame that it was started as it was.

He always focuses on one particular community or culture in any programme he does. It’s his stock in trade.

He’s covered lots of dangerous extremists.

Yeah it's a strange argument why does a documentary about settlers focus on settlers? There isn't really '2 sides' to balance it anyway, the settlers made their ideology really clear, they think they have a god given right to Palestinians homes and land. It wouldn't matter what Palestinians do or don't do, the settlers extremist ideology means that their end game is always going to be ethnic cleansing. I don't know how anyone who watched the doc can come away from it thinking any different.

I know people in Israel who think the settlers are disgusting.
I think the government panders to the far right certainly.. but there are many normal Israelis who are horrified.
I mean you even see it in the documentary, constant Israeli protesters.

The most sinister aspect is how the government denies supporting these fringe lunatics but clearly DOES support them and uses them. So whilst the government tells the rest of the world Israel is just defending its right to exist hich is under attack by palestinians... it's clearly actually supporting aggression and expansion into Palestine.

I found that Daniella really disturbing

So I believe perhaps annoyingly that rhetoric, programmes (however good and accurate they might be) and reports only cement my thinking which is - no side is Lilly white in all this. No one comes out looking good. There are serious atrocities on both sides and there are seriously sad and heartbreakingly innocent people affected on both sides. Way way way too many of them. I won’t get into a debate about they did and they did etc because both did. And both have. Every single life is precious and if either side has taken an innocent life (which they have) then being more right and more wrong negates that EVERY life is precious.

What I really despair about is the need to really dig heels in on one side because neither is right and in some ways neither is wrong.

Entrenching doesn’t help either.

It’s actually laughable that someone would ask why he didn’t interview Hamas in Gaza?

I hope the bit under the pay wall is an impassioned plea for the Israeli government to let journalists into Gaza.

But anyway I can neither see the article nor see the documentary. I must watch it.

I didn’t realise other people couldn’t see the article. I will post some of it in a bit for anyone interested so people can get the gist.

It was very informative whilst being extremely upsetting to watch.

All the settlers featured came across as unhinged and entirely lacking any humanity or the ability to consider any other reading of history outside what they’d read in the Bible. Danielle Weiss seemed sociopathic, as Louis suggested. Her facial expressions and mannerisms were frightening at times and ironically reminded me of old film footage of Hitler addressing the crowds.

The scene towards the start with settlers visiting a purpose built viewing platform that looks across to Gaza clearly under bombardment with clouds of black smoke, the parents pointing it out to their children, was extremely disturbing. It was only one step removed from crowds gathered to watch a public execution.

Excellent documentary, Louis. Thank you.

Why does Louis Theroux keep picking on Israeli settlers?

When is Louis Theroux going to make a documentary where he embeds himself with Hamas in Gaza? Or Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarm, or Qalqilya? Probably never, because he’d most likely come to a sticky end.

I, for one, would be enthralled by Theroux’s signature brand of sneering, awkwardly bemused questioning if he were to go and live with members of Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades. Picture it: over breakfast in a darkened Gaza safe house, he nods along as his interviewee explains how their “martyrs” are sent to murder Jews in their homes, all while playing up his trademark discomfort for the cameras.

He could ask about their proud history of abducting civilians, their systemic use of rape and torture, or their policy of executing political rivals and suspected homosexuals. But, of course, that documentary will never be made.

Or how about one where Theroux embeds himself with the Iranian regime’s hardline Shia clerics? He likes to gently mock unusual religious beliefs, so the Twelver Shia rulers of Iran would be perfect: they believe they are governing under the direct mandate of God until the return of the Hidden Imam, who has been in occultation since 874 CE and will reappear when the world is filled with tyranny and oppression.

Just picture Louis’ eyebrow raising sarcastically as they explain how all of that will be preceded by major signs, including widespread corruption, the rise of a great deceiver (Dajjal), internal chaos in the Muslim world, and an apocalyptic war!

In the meantime, he could go out on trips with them as they arrest women for the crime of wearing a hijab improperly, imprison and torture dual nationals who visit their families, and abduct foreign citizens for ransom. Yet another group of religious fanatics Theroux could study up close and personal.

No? Then perhaps he could take a trip to Yemen to meet the Houthis, Iran’s favourite proxy army. Sipping black coffee and dressed in a Ma’awaz and Thobe, he could casually observe as they chant their catchy slogan of “Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews.” Then he could drive them round in his famous Fiat 500 as they kidnap and torture people, from UN workers and women to human rights activists. Or join them as they recruit even more child soldiers, many of whom will die on the battlefield, and launch missiles at Israel to kill innocent people. Now that would be an interesting documentary. But maybe they’re just not kooky enough for the Louis Theroux/ BBC treatment.

Of course Theroux won’t make a film about any of those things. His attempt in 2016 to make a show even about British Muslims who were sympathetic to Isis “fizzled out”. I wonder why.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-does-louis-theroux-keep-picking-on-israeli-settlers/

So I watched it -- I found a dodgy YouTube version because I'm not in the UK! I think it was well done but I do have some caveats. Theroux is focusing on the extreme fringe, because that's what Louis Theroux does. But it does need to be remembered that the people he speaks to are extremists. I did see social media chatter saying "so this is what settlers are like" and not exactly. I don't support the occupation (I'm Jewish) but the documentary wasn't a comprehensive picture of settlers and didn't pretend to be. I think the people who are acting upset because Theroux focused on extremists are missing the point.

the one thing I didn't like is that Theroux makes a big deal about when settlers are American. The vast majority aren't. There's a bigger proportion of Americans amongst settlers than amongst Israelis as a whole but it's still very much a minority. They get a lot of air time on documentaries, perhaps because they speak fluent English and don't mind talking to the BBC.

The above is not the whole Spectator article (too long) but as you see @Odras it is rather tongue in cheek and not seriously asking why Louis didn't interview Hamas in Gaza. The reason is obvious.

If anyone wants to read the whole article I was able to just by subscribing to the Spectator (no fee to do that) which means I can read 2 articles a month without cost.