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Meetings with The Settlers and those they impact

When Louis Theroux travelled to the West Bank in late 2024 to film The Settlers, he spent time with Israelis and Palestinians.

Ari Abramowitz

Ari Abramowitz was born and raised in Texas – he moved to Israel as a teenager and now helps run Arugot Farm, a small retreat hosting birthdays, weddings and corporate events. The farm was established as an outpost in 2014 inside the occupied West Bank, illegally under Israeli law, before the government authorised it as a settlement. Ari believes Israel should declare sovereignty over all of the West Bank and Gaza.

Daniella Weiss

Daniella Weiss is often called the ‘Godmother’ of the settler movement. She has been promoting the settler project for decades and claims to have been involved in the creation of most settlements in the occupied West Bank. She is currently active in the movement to build settlements in Gaza and has been sanctioned by the Canadian government. She lives in a settlement called Kedumim that is home to over 4000 people who live there. Settlements are legal under Israeli law but illegal under international law.

Malkiel Bar-Hai

Malkiel Bar Hai is a horse-wrangler and is one of the founders of a settlement called Evyatar, which has recently been authorised by the Israeli government. He lives there with his wife and eight children. The settlement sits on a hilltop near the Palestinian town of Beita where there have been regular protests against the settlers.

Issa Amro

Issa Amro is a Palestinian activist who was born in Hebron where he still lives. He is one of around 30,000 Palestinians living within a settler occupied area of the city, which is protected by a vast military infrastructure that impacts most aspects of Palestinian life. Issa founded the non-violent group Youth Against Settlements (YAS) and has been an advocate for non-violent resistance against the occupation for nearly 20 years.

Mohammad Hureini

Mohammad Hureini is a human rights activist and the co-founder of Youth of Sumud. As part of his activism, he films and shares videos of settler violence, disruption and property demolition.