From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Land of the Settlers
The Land of the Settlers
The Land of the Settlers PART 2 focuses on Hebron, Abraham’s ancient home,
a holy city where the Palestinian majority is held suspect
and monitored by the heavily armed Israeli Defense
Force, hinting at a strange role reversal of the Jewish
population since the Second World War. There, Yavin
films a concrete wall where someone wrote in spray-
paint, “Arabs to the crematorium.” There’s hate on both
sides, but Yavin’s documentary asks to what extent have
the oppressed become the oppressors.
Part 2 highlights the suffering of mothers on both
sides of the conflict. If they haven’t experienced the
heartbreak of losing a child, they worry constantly about
Directed by Chaim Yavin their children’s safety. Yavin speaks to a weepy Pales-
Produced by Chaim Yavin tinian woman in Hebron whose still mourning the loss
of her fourteen-year-old girl. The smiling, lanky girl was
Release date(s) 30 May 2005
shot by rioting settlers and fell off her roof. An Israeli
Running time 120 min. several parts mother shares the similarly disturbing story of watching
her seven-year-old son run up to her covered in blood
Language Hebrew with English subtitles
after having been shot by a sniper. But instead of chan-
neling their sorrow and pain to try to change the failing
The Land of the Settlers is a five part documentary series
system of hate, their experiences have filled them with
created by Chaim Yavin, who was described by the Arab
loathing for their enemies that perpetuates the conflict.
News as "the Israeli version of America’s Walter
For example, an Israeli mother argues, as she bobs her
Cronkite".[1] With a handheld camera, Yavin traveled
baby on her lap, that the Arabs should be bombed indis-
throughout his homeland of Israel and interviewed a
criminately to insure her children’s safety.
range of Palestinians and Israelis in order to document
PART 3 follows the Israeli government’s construction
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Released in 2005, his se-
of the Israeli West Bank barrier surrounding the nation’s
ries was too controversial to air on Israel’s public TV sta-
major cities, creating a physical barrier between the two
tion, Channel 1, despite the fact that he had helped to
cultures. Israelis call it a security fence—Palestinians call
create the station and served as its lead anchorman. It
it proof of a system of Israeli apartheid. This documen-
ran instead on Channel 2, creating a stir for its sympathy
tary begins with an interview of an Israeli woman whose
towards Palestinians.
husband and two sons were murdered by a suicide
bomber. She tells the story from her balcony, from where
Summary she can see the restaurant in which it happened. When
"The message of the series was," Yavin explains, "If we Yavin asks her opinion of the fence, she says her heart
want peace, we have to dismantle the settlements." [2] “curdles.” “Why wasn’t it built earlier? Why did I have to
In Part 1, Yavin travels through the West Bank, invit- pay such a dear price so that we could wise up later?”
ing himself into the homes of both Israelis and Palestini- Part 3 raises the question as to whether the fence is
ans in order to get a highly personal look at the con- in fact being built for security purposes or if it has po-
flict. Both the Palestinians and Israeli settlers tell Yavin litical motives. Instead of running along the green line,
that their lives are being toyed with because of their eth- Israel’s official border, it extends into Palestinian land,
nicity, without respect for the fact that they are human which one Palestinian argues is a “robbery of land and
beings, with rooted families and established lives. Pales- resources.” One Israeli official, nicknamed “the father of
tinians on line at a checkpoint complain to the camera the fence,” explains that they extended they boundary in
that the four hour wait they’re enduring in the hot sun is order to make sure that guards have enough time to stop
common, while an Israel mother rants, “I think Jews that a person from crossing. The fence is likened to the Berlin
vote to evacuate us from our homes should come and talk wall.
to us. If they looked us in the eyes before they did, I think Yavin, also known as Mr. Television,[1] has been re-
I’d feel differently.” porting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades,
but, until the release of this series, he’s kept his political
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Land of the Settlers
opinions to himself. These films were made with his hope brothers,’ and the Israeli governments over the
to inspire moral change in his countrymen. “I cannot re- generations did indeed send them…" [3]
ally do anything to relieve this misery other than to doc-
ument it,” Yavin says, “so that neither I nor those like me
will be able to say that we saw nothing, heard nothing,
Notes
knew nothing.” [1] ^ Ferguson, Barbara (January 16, 2006). "Chaim
Yavin: Israel’s Mr. Television Shocks With ’Land of
the Settlers’". Arab News (Arab News).
Reception http://www.arabnews.com/
• New York Times described it as “pessimistic, angry ?page=4§ion=0&article=76327&d=16&m=1&y=2006.
and highly personal.” [2] Yavin, Chaim (September 24, 2005). "What Israel
• Lewis Roth with Americans for Peace Now said, “has Must Do". The Boston Globe.
had an impact in Israel because of what you see on http://www.boston.com/news/globe/
the screen, but also because of who made it. Chaim editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/09/24/
Yavin has been Israel’s lead newscaster, and what_israel_must_do/.
probably one the best-known voices and faces in the [3] ^ "Explosive Israel Documentary Series".
Jewish community.” [3] Americans for Peace Now. Archived from the
• Tom Segev of Ha’aretz (5/27/05) wrote, "…For two original on 2007-06-08. http://web.archive.org/
and half years, Yavin wandered the West Bank and web/20070608144812/http://www.peacenow.org/
the Gaza Strip with a small hand-held camera, which updates.asp?rid=0&cid=1417. Retrieved 2007-06-23.
he operated himself, without a technical crew. Here
and there he was reviled as the representative of the
hostile leftist media, but in general the settlers spoke
See also
to him on the assumption that he was their man, and Other documentaries about Israel:
justly so: Until now he was everyone’s man." [3] • At the Green Line
• Raanan Shaked of Yedioth Ahronoth (6/1/05), wrote, • Nadia’s Friend
"After watching The Land of the Settlers, every
caring Israeli, every humane Israeli, should get up
next Saturday, go to the settlement nearest to his
External links
place of residence, and drag its inhabitants, kicking • Yavin, Chaim (September 24, 2005). "What Israel
and screaming, across the road to the side of Must Do". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/
sanity.[3] news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/
• Assaf Schneider of Ma’ariv (6/1/05) wrote, "The 09/24/what_israel_must_do/.
documentation with the small Sony camera is an • Ferguson, Barbara (January 16, 2006). "Chaim Yavin:
effective trick that always works…The difference is Israel’s Mr. Television Shocks With ’Land of the
that here, it all comes together to present one Settlers’". Arab News. http://www.arabnews.com/
unappealing idea: Disengagement has taken place ?page=4§ion=0&article=76327&d=16&m=1&y=2006.
long ago. Thirty years ago, to be precise, when the • "Explosive Israel Documentary Series". Americans
first settlers remained in Sebastia. Only it is a for Peace Now. Archived from the original on
disengagement by them from Israel, from Israeliness. 2007-06-08. http://web.archive.org/web/
They let it slip now and then, when they talk 20070608144812/http://www.peacenow.org/
contemptuously about ’those who live in Tel Aviv updates.asp?rid=0&cid=1417. Retrieved 2007-06-23.
and Haifa,’ when they threaten matter-of-factly to • The Jewish Channel reviews Land of the Settlers
burn their ID cards, when they call anyone who is
not them ’a generation of wusses,’ when they fail to
understand why Yavin does not want a day to come
when ’Mohammed will make us all coffee.’ The
feeling is harsh: After all, it is true that ’we are
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Land_of_the_Settlers&oldid=452804288"
Categories:
• 2005 films
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict films
• Israeli documentary films
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Land of the Settlers
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