
Louis Theroux: The Settlers, review: Theroux's approach is mismatched with the political reality of Israel
Oh, BBC. Why do you do this to yourself? If you've been brought low by accusations of bias in a documentary about Israel and Gaza – and an investigation into Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone is ongoing – it's not the best idea to broadcast another one so soon.
True, this is not a BBC News programme but Louis Theroux: The Settlers (BBC Two). It is mostly concerned with the West Bank, rather than Hamas-controlled Gaza. Theroux is under no obligation to hide where his sympathies lie, and he doesn't, closing the film by telling a leading settler that she's a sociopath because she doesn't care about the suffering of Palestinians.
The Settlers is a follow-up to The Ultra Zionists, a film he made in 2011. That one was very much in the classic Theroux tradition: spend time with religious fanatics who need only the politest prodding to make inflammatory statements. It is a much better documentary than this, which covers the same ground and feels surplus to requirements.
The Jewish settlers believe they have a God-given right to live in 'the heart of Judea', refusing to recognise Palestinian claims on the territories. They consider the Bible to be 'a land deed to the West Bank', Theroux explains, and have built settlements that are illegal under international law. Palestinians are subject to aggression and intimidation in a bid to drive them from the land, their attackers able to act with impunity under the protection of the IDF. Most moderate Israelis regard the settlers as a national embarrassment, while the country's security chief, Ronen Bar, has described escalating acts of violence by the 'hilltop youth' as terrorism.
The documentary features Daniella Weiss, the fiery and horribly unpleasant 'godmother' of the settler movement, who is so hellbent on claiming Gaza for the Jews that in one scene she tries to shake off a military escort and drive over the border. An ultra-nationalist rabbi, Dov Lior, says: 'All of Gaza, all of Lebanon, should be cleansed of these camel riders.'
Theroux says the October 7 atrocities were his spur for returning to Israel because he has heard that the settlement process is being accelerated as a result. But his style is unsuited to the new political reality.
An example. Theroux meets a Texan called Ari Abramowitz, who has emigrated to Israel and (illegally) set up a farm deep inside the West Bank. Theroux suggests it is 'weird' for Abramowitz to carry several guns while he goes about his day, including a visit to the synagogue. 'My gun is here to protect the nation of Israel from those who seek to harm us,' says Abramowitz. 'Is it that dangerous?' asks Theroux, in that lightly sceptical voice. But doesn't this exchange make Theroux, not Abramowitz, sound like the mad one? Recent history suggests that Jews have good reason to be prepared for an attack on their homes. Yes, we're talking about Palestinians from the West Bank here and not Hamas, but you can forgive Jewish residents for taking precautions and fearing their Arab neighbours.
After invoking October 7 as his reason for making the film, Theroux barely mentions it again. It's a shame that journalists aren't allowed into Gaza, because a film in which he gently accuses a Hamas leader of being a bit of a sociopath would be one to watch.

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Sky News
16 minutes ago
- Sky News
Controversial aid distributer claims Hamas has carried out deadly attack on bus carrying Palestinians
The controversial US and Israeli-backed aid distributor in Gaza has accused Hamas of a deadly attack on a bus carrying Palestinians working with the organisation. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has said at least five aid workers were killed and it fears some team members "may have been taken hostage". The aid organisation also said multiple people were injured in the alleged attack. In a statement, the GHF has said the bus was carrying more than two dozen people working with the organisation when it was targeted at 10pm Gaza time (8pm UK time) on Wednesday. The GHF said those in the bus were "local Palestinians" working with the organisation to "deliver critical aid". "At the time of the attack, our team was en route to one of our distribution centres in the area west of Khan Younis", the GHF added. It continued in its statement: "We are still gathering facts, but what we know is devastating: there are at least five fatalities, multiple injuries, and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage. "We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms. These were aid workers." The GHF also said in its statement that Hamas has in recent days been threatening members of the organisation, including aid workers, and civilians who have been receiving the aid. The organisation said it holds Hamas fully responsible for "taking the lives of our dedicated workers who have been distributing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people at the foundation's sites in central and southern Gaza". "Tonight, the world must see this for what it is: an attack on humanity. We call on the international community to immediately condemn Hamas for this unprovoked attack and continued threat against our people simply trying to feed the Palestinian people," the GHF said. "We will release additional information once it becomes available. Despite this heinous attack, we will continue our mission to provide critical aid to the people of Gaza." 3:59 The alleged attack came hours after health officials in Gaza said at least 25 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire at a GHF site close to the former settlement of Netzarim, near Gaza City. Medical officials at Shifa and al Quds hospitals say the people were killed as they approached the site. Gaza's health ministry said earlier this week that around 160 people have been killed in shootings near aid sites run by the GHF since they began distributing aid on 26 May. However, the GHF has said there has been no violence in or around the distribution centres themselves. 1:45 Why is the aid system controversial? Israel and the US have said the GHF system is aimed at preventing Hamas from siphoning off assistance. Israel has not provided any evidence of systematic diversion, and the UN denies it has occurred. The foundation's distribution of aid has been marred by chaos, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the delivery sites. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles because it allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites, risking yet more mass displacement in the territory. Jake Wood, a former US marine, resigned as head of the GHF in May before it began distributing aid in Gaza over concerns about is independence. Mr Wood said the foundation cannot adhere to the "humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon".


Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE How Greta Thunberg relishes being 'the poster girl for rebellious teenagers': JUDI JAMES reveals how she uses all the tricks of a political pro
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Spectator
3 hours ago
- Spectator
I've lost control of the kitchen
Looking back, I can pinpoint my fatal blunder. It was lunch. It was like the West allowing Vladimir Putin to help himself to the Crimean peninsula without a peep, basically. This is how it happened. My husband had invited two families to stay over the May bank holiday which bled into half term. For four days. 'Don't worry,' he said, in light tones, ahead of their arrival. 'I've told them they're bringing all the food and doing all the cooking.' As if I'd welcome this wonderful idea, when in fact what he'd suggested was the domestic equivalent of handing over the nuclear football and the codes behind my back. The guests are delightful and I couldn't wait to have them all (five adults and five children), but guests handling the catering was never going to happen under my roof, as my husband ought to have known. One, I am a fast and capable cook. I came second to Ed Balls in the final of the BBC's Celebrity Best Home Cook series (and maintain that he won because he made a pirate cake with full sails out of chocolate and he blubbed). Two, if an Englishman's home is his castle, the female equivalent of the White House Situation Room is a woman's kitchen. The last thing I needed, in other words, was several other bossy middle-class parents occupying my catering HQ on Exmoor. Plus, I'd already ordered a van-busting home delivery from Sainsbury's. On the Art of War principle that 'supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemies' resistance without fighting', I replied: 'Oh no, don't worry! But maybe they can do lunches?' Category error on my part. Perhaps I'm late to the party here but, as it turned out, the families didn't really have a concept of 'lunch' as a separate meal, after breakfast and before supper. They simply prepared and ate fare whenever they or their children were hungry, which was, of course, all the time. In more civilised places than the Johnson compound, i.e. Provence or Tuscany, when you have 12 people for four days it's understood that one of the 'main' meals will be 'out', i.e. at a restaurant to spare mine hosts, and the convention is that the guests stump for this. But the farm is two miles from Tarmac. It's an hour round trip for a pint of milk. A two-hour round trip to a pub. All meals are eaten in and none are 'opt'. The last thing I needed was several other bossy middle-class parents occupying my catering HQ on Exmoor On day one, everyone arrived at teatime after extended drives on the M4 and M5. We had tea and cake, and a late-ish supper. So far, so good. Two meals down! Day two was different. When provisioning, I'd texted my husband's nephew to ask what his three heavenly girls ate for breakfast. 'Bacon eggs toast juice fruit yoghurts porridge etc,' came the detailed reply. I therefore rose at 8 a.m. to slam the first tray of bacon in, yet there were people refilling the coffee jug and boiling eggs and stirring porridge at elevenses. Still, the guests did a fine clear-up and cleared off with the kids to a local beauty spot while I made scones for tea. Everyone returned from Tarr Steps at 1 p.m., making noises about their lunch duty, and invaded the kitchen. For hours. With what I felt was superhuman restraint – I can make an apple crumble in five minutes flat, and on Best Home Cook I made crab ravioli on a bed of fennel with a citrus jus from scratch starting with flour and water for the homemade pasta in 35 minutes – I only said 'But how long does it actually take to boil rice?' loudly around three times. At 3 p.m. (!) there was a simple lunch of delicious dahl (brought from London in Tupperware) and the rice on the table. As I shovelled it in, I worked out that at this rate, there would be half an hour until tea; tea would run straight into children's supper; and then adult supper. I had an awful vision of us all mealing non-stop till bedtime. I therefore put my fork and foot down and made an announcement. First, there would be a 'breakfast window' of an hour. As it was already past 3.30, I went on, we would have the scones for pudding. This went down well. So I went to the kitchen to fetch the scones. It was then that I discovered a full tray of chicken pieces in the Aga bubbling in their juices. Genuinely panicked, I returned laden with the scones, Rodda's and jams. 'And what meal is all the chicken in the Aga for?' I queried, brokenly. The table fell silent. 'Oh I put them in, just in case the children were hungry… later,' one perfect guest replied as a dozen arms shot out to grab the scones as if they'd been deliberately starved by colonial aggressors for months. I sank to my chair and applied golden, crusted Rodda's thickly to my scone. It was clear there'd still be a whole other meal 'later', i.e. between now and children's supper and, after that, two more days of culinary occupation. On day three the dishwasher flooded. On day four, the Aga went out as if in protest and could not be relit. Looking back, yes – it was lunch. Lose lunch, and you'll be out-generalled in your own kitchen by a chicken traybake.