Latest news with #YouthAgainstSettlements
Arab News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Israeli soldiers raid home of Palestinian activist featured in Louis Theroux documentary
LONDON: Israeli soldiers have raided the home of Issa Amro, a prominent Palestinian activist featured in Louis Theroux's recent BBC documentary 'The Settlers,' in what he described as a retaliatory move for his appearance in the film. Amro, co-founder of the non-violent group Youth Against Settlements, posted videos on social media showing confrontations with Israeli soldiers at his home in Hebron, as well as footage of Israeli settlers entering the property. 'The soldiers raided my house today, they wanted revenge from me for participating in the BBC documentary 'the settlers', after the army left the settlers raided my house, they injured one activist and cut the tree, they stole tools and the garbage containers,' he said in a post on X. The incident comes as Israel intensifies its military operations in the West Bank, even as global attention remains focused on its war in Gaza. Human rights groups have long accused Israeli settlers — often accompanied or protected by soldiers — of conducting near-daily raids on Palestinian communities to intimidate residents and seize land. The soldiers raided my house today, they wanted to revenge from me for participating in the @BBC documentary ' the settlers' , after the army left the settlers raided my house, they injured one activist and cut the tree, they stole tools and the garbage containers. The Israeli… — Issa Amro عيسى عمرو (@Issaamro) May 3, 2025 Despite repeated condemnation by the international community, attacks by settlers and security forces have grown more frequent and more violent, forcing many Palestinians to abandon their homes. Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are considered illegal under international law. The expansion of settlements has drawn comparisons from rights organizations to the apartheid system once seen in South Africa. Amro, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, appeared in 'The Settlers,' a follow-up to Theroux's 2012 documentary 'The Ultra Zionists.' In the new film, he guides Theroux through Israeli-occupied Hebron, where around 700 settlers live under heavy military protection among a Palestinian population of roughly 35,000. The documentary not only examines the daily realities of life under occupation but also explores the religious and ideological motivations driving the settler movement. Amro said Israeli police threatened him with arrest and told him not to file a complaint. In one video posted on X, he confronts balaclava-wearing soldiers and asks why their faces are covered. One responds: 'You know exactly why.' . @Issaamro who featured in The Settlers has posted videos of his latest harassment by settlers and soldiers. Our team has been in regular contact with him since the documentary and over the last 24 hours. We are continuing to monitor the situation. — Louis Theroux (@louistheroux) May 4, 2025 Theroux commented on X that his team is in regular contact with Amro and is 'continuing to monitor the situation.' The incident echoes a similar case in March, when Hamdan Ballal, a co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary 'No Other Land,' was assaulted outside his home in Susya, a village in the Masafer Yatta area of the West Bank, before being briefly detained. Ballal later claimed he was beaten while in custody and described the attack as 'revenge for our movie.' In a statement, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces denied Amro's claims, saying: 'As the videos clearly show, the soldiers present on May 3 in the Hebron area were there to disperse the confrontation between Palestinian residents and Israeli civilians.'
Arab News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Palestinian writer wins Pulitzer Prize for Gaza war commentary
Israeli soldiers raid home of Palestinian activist featured in Louis Theroux documentary LONDON: Israeli soldiers have raided the home of Issa Amro, a prominent Palestinian activist featured in Louis Theroux's recent BBC documentary 'The Settlers,' in what he described as a retaliatory move for his appearance in the film. Amro, co-founder of the non-violent group Youth Against Settlements, posted videos on social media showing confrontations with Israeli soldiers at his home in Hebron, as well as footage of Israeli settlers entering the property. 'The soldiers raided my house today, they wanted revenge from me for participating in the BBC documentary 'the settlers', after the army left the settlers raided my house, they injured one activist and cut the tree, they stole tools and the garbage containers,' he said in a post on X. The incident comes as Israel intensifies its military operations in the West Bank, even as global attention remains focused on its war in Gaza. Human rights groups have long accused Israeli settlers — often accompanied or protected by soldiers — of conducting near-daily raids on Palestinian communities to intimidate residents and seize land. The soldiers raided my house today, they wanted to revenge from me for participating in the @BBC documentary ' the settlers' , after the army left the settlers raided my house, they injured one activist and cut the tree, they stole tools and the garbage containers. The Israeli… — Issa Amro عيسى عمرو (@Issaamro) May 3, 2025 Despite repeated condemnation by the international community, attacks by settlers and security forces have grown more frequent and more violent, forcing many Palestinians to abandon their homes. Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are considered illegal under international law. The expansion of settlements has drawn comparisons from rights organizations to the apartheid system once seen in South Africa. Amro, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, appeared in 'The Settlers,' a follow-up to Theroux's 2012 documentary 'The Ultra Zionists.' In the new film, he guides Theroux through Israeli-occupied Hebron, where around 700 settlers live under heavy military protection among a Palestinian population of roughly 35,000. The documentary not only examines the daily realities of life under occupation but also explores the religious and ideological motivations driving the settler movement. Amro said Israeli police threatened him with arrest and told him not to file a complaint. In one video posted on X, he confronts balaclava-wearing soldiers and asks why their faces are covered. One responds: 'You know exactly why.' . @Issaamro who featured in The Settlers has posted videos of his latest harassment by settlers and soldiers. Our team has been in regular contact with him since the documentary and over the last 24 hours. We are continuing to monitor the situation. — Louis Theroux (@louistheroux) May 4, 2025 Theroux commented on X that his team is in regular contact with Amro and is 'continuing to monitor the situation.' The incident echoes a similar case in March, when Hamdan Ballal, a co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary 'No Other Land,' was assaulted outside his home in Susya, a village in the Masafer Yatta area of the West Bank, before being briefly detained. Ballal later claimed he was beaten while in custody and described the attack as 'revenge for our movie.' In a statement, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces denied Amro's claims, saying: 'As the videos clearly show, the soldiers present on May 3 in the Hebron area were there to disperse the confrontation between Palestinian residents and Israeli civilians.'
The Guardian
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Palestinian activist's home ‘raided' by Israeli soldiers for appearing in Louis Theroux documentary
A Palestinian activist who appeared in a Louis Theroux documentary about settlers in the West Bank has reportedly had his home raided by Israeli soldiers. Issa Amro, co-founder of the non-violent activist group Youth Against Settlements, shared videos on social media of confrontations with Israeli military at his home, and another of a group of Israeli settlers forcing entry to the property. Posting on X, Amro said: 'The soldiers raided my house today, they wanted revenge from me for participating in the BBC documentary 'the settlers', after the army left the settlers raided my house, they injured one activist and cut the tree, they stole tools and the garbage containers.' Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are illegal under international law. The UN Security Council have said that the settlements have 'no legal validity, constituting a flagrant violation under international law.' Amro lives in Hebron, the capital of the West Bank's largest governorate. In Louis Theroux's documentary, The Settlers, Amro shows Theroux around the Israeli-occupied area of the city, home to about 35,000 Palestinians and 700 settlers protected by the Israeli military. The documentary, which aired in April on BBC Two, shows Amro and Theroux being confronted and intimidated by military as they walk around the area. When the pair are sworn at by a passing driver, Amro explains to Theroux: 'You deserve a middle finger if you report about Palestinians.' 'By international law, the settlements are illegal,' Amro said in the documentary. 'They don't see us as equal human beings who deserve the same rights they do.' In one of the videos posted on X, Amro challenges a group of balaclava-covered soldiers at his house, asking why they have their faces covered. One soldier replies: 'You know exactly why.' A Nobel peace prize nominee and one of the West Bank's most prominent activists, Amro is best known for his work for Youth Against Settlements, which aims to end the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank. Theroux, posting on X, said: '@Issaamro who featured in The Settlers has posted videos of his latest harassment by settlers and soldiers. Our team has been in regular contact with him since the documentary and over the last 24 hours. We are continuing to monitor the situation.' The Israel Defence Forces were approached for comment.
The National
04-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Palestinian's home 'raided' for appearing in BBC documentary
Issa Amro, who was born in Hebron where he still lives, is one of around 30,000 Palestinians living within a settler-occupied area of the city, which is surrounded by the Israeli military. As the founder of the non-violent group Youth Against Settlements (YAS), he has been an advocate for non-violent resistance against the occupation for nearly 20 years and took part in the BBC documentary where he showed Theroux around the settler-occupied part of the city. Theroux spent three weeks travelling across the West Bank documenting 'the world of the Israeli ultra-nationalists" who have settled in the territory, illegally under international law, for the documentary. READ MORE: Anas Sarwar blames SNP and Tories for Grangemouth job losses Amro has claimed in a post on social media that he was raided by Israeli soldiers and settlers as a repercussion for his part in the short film, where he highlighted the difficulties and discrimination Palestinians face living under occupation. He claimed a fellow activist was injured and settlers chopped down his tree while also stealing tools from his home. Amro said: 'The soldiers raided my house today, they wanted revenge from me for participating in the BBC documentary 'the settlers' , after the army left the settlers raided my house, they injured one activist and cut the tree, they stole tools and the garbage containers. 'The Israeli police officer came to threaten me not to file a complaint if so I will be arrested for trying to push the settlers outside my house. It is apartheid.' The soldiers raided my house today, they wanted to revenge from me for participating in the @BBC documentary ' the settlers' , after the army left the settlers raided my house, they injured one activist and cut the tree, they stole tools and the garbage containers. The Israeli… — Issa Amro عيسى عمرو 🇵🇸 (@Issaamro) May 3, 2025 The post is accompanied by a short clip where Amro challenges Israeli soldiers who appear to be at his home. He asked them why they were at his home, where one soldier with what appears to be a British accent replies: 'You know exactly why.' Another is seen mocking Amro, saying he was showing the BBC what is happening in Gaza. Amro said, 'The BBC are friends of Israel', to which the soldier replies, 'Of course', before the short clip ends. Amro claims that shortly after the Israeli soldiers left his home, settlers then showed up and raided his house. In another post, a few hours later, Amro said the settlers feel emboldened because of the US President Donald Trump's administration's blind support for Israel.
