‘It would be so much easier if we were mean and ugly and violent – but we’re none of those things.’
I just watched The Hilltops, by Igal H. It is a beautifully-shot and thought-provoking documentary about the settlers in Judea and Samaria. Admirably, it manages the unlikely feat of being fair and quietly even-handed on this most contentious of topics.
As we know, Israeli settlers are often described as ‘the obstacle to peace’ in the Middle East. According to many, the obstacle is not the tyranny and medieval brutality of some Arab states, nor the terrorism of Hamas, with its policy to exterminate all Jews, nor even the nuclear programme of Iran, whose President openly vows to wipe Israel off the map.
No, it turns out that the obstacle is some Jews building a few homes just outside Jerusalem. Awesome.
In reality, the settlers are not the obstacle. But they might be an obstacle, so they merit clear-headed understanding. The Hilltops is a well-made film; the most intelligent portrayal of the settlers I’ve ever witnessed. Igal H is neither a rabid settler-basher, nor a fanatical backer of them right-or-wrong. Instead he visits the communities, speaks with their members and lets the viewer draw their own conclusions.
Putting aside the contentious nature of the settlements, it is interesting to witness the passion for the land of those featured. ‘I could be wrong, but I really don’t believe there is a nation on this earth who loves their land as much as we do,’ said one. While settlements are often surrounded by hostile neighbouring villages, the harmony within the communities is remarkable. Not a street-robbery, intimidated pensioner or torched shop to be seen.
The emotional connection with the land is most beautifully-expressed by the women featured in the film. Indeed, the fact that The Hilltops features so many women from the communities is one of its strengths. With one exception they speak without the bluster and bravado that dominates some male settlers’ statements. I wasn’t surprised; I’ve long thought that women have far more chance of solving the world’s most contentious issues than any of the men who dominate political leadership.
Igal H occasionally intervenes with some questions of his own. The one I wish he had asked is how settlers with children justify raising kids in settlements. Adults have free choice to live in the middle of such dangerous and contentious neighbourhoods – children do not. I’m genuinely curious about this aspect of their decision to move their families into settlements.
Whether you support or despise the settlers, or if you’ve not made-up your mind yet, The Hilltops is required viewing. It had a sell-out world premiere at Hot Docs, North America’s most prestigious documentary film festival. It also aired on the CBC in Canada. I think this balanced and thought-provoking documentary would be ideal for the UK Jewish Film Festival.
If you want to showcase The Hilltops in London or Europe, or hold a big screening, contact Igal H at chutzpaproductions@hotmail.com.
“While settlements are often surrounded by hostile neighbouring villages, the harmony within the communities is remarkable. Not a street-robbery, intimidated pensioner or torched shop to be seen.”
Low crime is trait of all homogeneous societies.
Is it? There are many families where the homogeneous members happily rob, assault and/or rape each other.
Even if I see your mother and your neighbour’s mother as very similar, don’t you still see them differently? Societies and families have very different structures. The principles of group dynamics that apply in macrocosm don’t neccessarily apply in microcosm, and that doesn’t undermine Callum’s point.
Good to have you back Chaz
I have a family friend who lives in a settlement just outside jerusalem, surrounded by a palestinian village. We went to visit her and her family 2 years ago, when her little son was 8 years old. She is british, her husband is canadian and their son was born and brought up in israel in the settlement.I saw how much their son loved the valleys and the hills and the beautiful surroundings of his home, he took us on a tour and was so excited to show us it all….and their settlement is relatively safe. its had a few problems with the neighbouring village but when i visited all i saw was the beautiful land. i dont know the conditions of the other village… but i could see the beautiful community created, and i hope that both israelis and palestinians can eventually live in peace in a united country where we wont have to use the word settlement anymore.
Thanks Chas. I would really like to see this documentary when it comes more generally available.
It’s interesting that in spite of there being two international agreements – San Remo under the League of Nations in 1922 and the UN in 1948, the area known as Judea and Samaria are called occupied or disputed.
In reality, the ‘settlements’, so hated and used as excuses by enemies of Israel, right across the spectrum, are located on land that was in 1922 promised to the Jewish people. In fact, not just the West Bank of the Jordan but across the other side, as far as the north south railway line. Some say it included the whole of TransJordan too.
Perhaps we should consider changing the emphasis and start calling ‘the settlements’, something more neutral, like the Eastern Communities. What do you think?
Well spoken cityca.
Chas, you wonder how settlers justify bringing their children to, and raising them in, settlements in such hostile surroundings. I know that you are asking out of genuine friendly interest, but there are others with a less friendly approach to Israel who raise the same question with a hostile intention.
To them I would answer, “do you ever stop to justify bring up children in the inner city with its levels of crime? Or out in the boondocks in isolated homesteads with little chance of interacting with other children?”
Are such questions addressed to anyone living in any other dangerous area?
My daughter used to live in Kiryat Shmona – in Israel “proper”, not a settlement, which lies on the Lebanese border with those peace-loving Hezbollah thugs. Has anyone ever asked Kiryat Shmona residents how they justify living there and bringing up their children there, under the guns and missiles of Hezbollah? I know whereof I speak because I was caught out there visiting when the war of 2006 broke out and we ended up in the bomb shelter. Living there for 6 years, my daughter and her children spent many a day and night in the shelter, avoiding katyushas which were never reported in any foreign media.
As for the journey there, it is as scary a car journey to drive to the north on those winding single-lane roads as it is to drive past Palestinian towns in the West Bank.
In a similar vein, does anyone ask residents of Israel’s south, Sderot in particular, how they can justify bringing up their children there?
Why are only the settlers required to justify bringing up their children in surroundings which by Israeli law are legal, whose houses were acquired legally with full taxes paid and title deeds acquired, where there is beautiful scenery, where the connection to Jewish history is the strongest, and within the settlements themselves it is completely safe physically, as you saw in the film.
As for the potentially dangerous drives to and from the settlements past hostile Arab villages two questions arise:
1. Is driving in Israel anywhere safe? (see above about driving to the north).
2. Should this question not be addressed to the hostile Arabs who shoot at Israeli motorists? Israeli residents of Tel Aviv don’t shoot at Palestinians walking around town, and no one expects this to happen, so why is it automatically assumed that this is what Palestinians do, and expect Israelis to just accept it and live with it?
I write these words as a resident of the Tel Aviv area with 2 married children in settlements. My grandchildren have a wonderful life in their villages, the community spirit there is amazing (so much so that my husband and I are considering moving to one of the settlements at some point) and having babysat there more than once, I felt in no more danger than in my own home.
I think it is a slippery slope to ask parents to justify living in any particular place and bringing up their children there. Most parents will evacuate their children if life becomes too dangerous there – like my daughter in the north did when she fled Kiryat Shmona with her children during that war of 2006. Until that situation arises, parents should be left alone.
(sorry about this long screed. I feel very strongly about it – in case you hadn’t noticed
)
I’ve never heard anyone else ask the question, so I can’t comment on any selectiveness of other people who ask.
I am just curious why, for instance, a family would move from a peaceful, gated LA community, or a sleep British suburb, to a neighbourhood from which, when they look out of the window in the morning, they can see hundreds or thousands of people who want their children dead.
I have not condemned anyone, I’m just asking a question because I want to learn. It was by asking questions that I became pro-Israel, rather than going along with the default anti-Israel position of many politicised Brits.
I disagree that parents should ‘just be left alone’ and not asked questions by genuine, curious people. As an example, the wonderful Daniel Gordis was once asked by an American Jew how he justified moving his family to Jerusalem and keeping them there during the intifada. Gordis’s answer (in his book Home To Stay) is one of the most powerful and moving and informative battle-cries for Israel you will ever read.
I also have personal reasons for wanting to explore why parents voluntarily put their children in unconventional or dangerous situations. Thanks for your perspective.
Chas, I know you haven’t condemned anyone and as I said, I know you are asking out of a genuine interest. I suppose I’m rather defensive about the whole issue. I apologize if I came across as accusatory.
I hadn’t thought about the matter from the perspective of people moving to the settlements from outside of Israel so you do raise an interesting point. I was only looking at it from the aspect of those already living in Israel.
And I guess I ought to get hold of Daniel Gordis’ book. It sounds a fascinating read. Thanks for the recommendation.
Talking of which, the film also sounds great. I would love to see it. I ought to contact Igal H and see if there will be any screenings in Israel.
There were time when the following was true:
People from outside Israel wouldn’t come to Israel because it’s dangerous. People from Tel Aviv wouldn’t come to Jerusalem because of the bombs. People in Jerusalem wouldn’t go to Gilo because of the shooting, and in Gilo there was one street that people wouldn’t go to, and on that street it was one house, and in that house, well it’s only the room at the back, between 2 and 4 it’s best to duck.
I’m not making light of the situation, but danger and comfort levels are relative terms. From what I’ve heard from South African expats, I don’t understand how anyone who could leave doesn’t. The brother-in-law of a friend was kidnapped in Mexico City for ransom (such a common occurrance that people are putting chips in their children to be able to track them), a British expat in Thailand left the UK after he’d been mugged three times and no-one helped him, a friend from Chicago told me she wouldn’t go out after 9pm even in her car on account of carjackings, …etc, etc, etc.
People live in settlements on account of the same reasons that people live in many places. It’s home. Even when one moves there. It’s home spiritually.
And the bottom line is wherever Jews live is a dangerous place. Believe me, if we weren’t in Yehuda and Shomron, they would be (and were and are) trying to kill us in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Tsfat, Sderot and Maalot, so what difference does it make? And if we weren’t in Israel, they would try to kill us somewhere else.
I know that your question was asked in innocence, and I also understand Annie’s comment. Many people ask the question in a way that they are blaming the victim. The innuendo behind the question is akin to saying that a woman was raped on account of what she was wearing, a glance she gave, or because she left the house unaccompanies by a male. It’s time to bring the criminals to account, not their victims.
So great to have you back posting!
I have a real problem with the settlements and while I do not believe they are THE obstacle to peace, I do think that in some areas they make life for the Palestinians extremely difficult. Now I know the reason why the security is so tight around the settlements is because of terror attacks, I still would not want to be a Palestinian living in certain villages like Al walaja or others affected by the security barrier. If it wasn’t for the settlements the security barrier would not be such an issue.
my i remind you that the security barrier is there to protect the middle of israel and not the settlements, many of wich have only their own fence as a defence
remember the fogel family massacre where the terrorist just jumped over the settlements` fence
Gail, please remember that the Arabs make life really difficult for Jews, um, like trying to kill us all the time. And you should be aware, that even though, thank Gd, things have been much more quiet recently, this is not on account of a letup in their attempts. Everyday there are about 400 warnings of attempted attacks. It simply doesn’t make the news. And you should also be aware that a substantial proportion of Arabs support terror against us, wherever we live.
Machsom Watch also feels the way that you do, and so intimidated a young soldier at checkpoint duty into not checking an Arab, that the Arab was able to kill him.
So that is the reason their lives are incovenienced, not on account of settlements. No terror, actual or attempted, no inconvenience. In the meantime, inconvenience away, it saves lives.
Gail, I agree that the security fence causes a certain amount of unpleasantness to Palestinians, but I have to take issue with one line you wrote:
It should be written thus:
If it wasn’t for the Palestinian terrorists the security barrier would not be an issue at all, because it would never have needed to be built in the first place. There have settlements in existence from the early 1970s, but there was no wall then. The wall was only built after 2002 when the huge wave of Palestinian suicide bombings killed 1000 Israeli citizens and almost paralysed normal life in Israel.
Thank you for your post above – it’s always interesting to read different perspectives. My daughter lives at Baram while doing her military service so I understand what you say about living in the North. I would like to correct my statement to `If it wasn’t for the settlements, the ROUTE of the security barrier would not be such an issue.’
Thanks for your reply. I too enjoy reading different viewpoints, especially when they are civilised
.
Yes, I suppose you have a point about the route of the barrier.
Annie I agree 100%. ‘Settlements’, ‘Security barrier’, ‘blockade’, ‘checkpoints………’ These are all red herrings.
In reality, what the Palestinian demonstrate that they want, in poll after poll, is no Israel.
To be frank – some of the extreme settlers do it for religious reasons – so they have, in some respect, a different scale of values (and there is no point in trying to argue with such reasons). In some respects they are the mirror image of extreme Moslems. Bur they are a minority among those who live outside the green line. Most of the other “settlers” are living in neighbourhoods or towns close to Jerusalem, or in Ariel, mostly because housing there is (was) cheaper – and in these places it is not more dangerous than other places in Israel. BTW the vast majority of settlers would agree to evacuate their homes if an agreement is achieved – painful as it would be for them. This has been demonstrated twice (leaving the Sinai, and leaving Gaza).
Eh, Chaz nice to see you back. Now for the important stuff…what say you about the fate of your Gaffer? Time to sack Wenger? Gooners goin down, LUFC up! (I know, completely off topic)
Thank you for asking the question Chas, because it is one ive always thought about too and thank you Annie for sharing your insight and perspective. Chas once again im so pleased the blog is back – this post has shown what a great medium it is for learning and hearing different perspectives from asking questions which is the only way to learn. Now for Marching on together – an Israeli allowed in the emirates, thats something!
me back again, i forgot to ask, do you know of any future screenings here of Hilltops?