In the West Bank, an estimated 475,000 Israelis live in settlements that are considered illegal under international law.
From what will soon be his living room, Dror enjoys the panoramic view of the Jordan Valley at a glance. The former photography gallery owner moved here, east of Ramallah, two months ago with his wife and young daughter to an informal settlement that was legalized by Israeli authorities last year.
We can see a gun under his T-shirt: “Yes, I always have a gun, 24 hours a day. Why? Did you hear what happened in Israel two weeks ago? One reason is to protect my family.” . The danger did not begin on October 7th.”
Dror feels at home here: “This is my country.” He refuses to listen to the arguments of those who denounce the colonization policies of the current Israeli government. “They heard this slogan when they demonstrated: ‘From the Jordan to the sea, Palestine will be free.’ Is that what you mean?”
“Destroy Hamas”
Dror also rejects the two-state solution, one Israeli, the other Palestinian. “We tried it in the Gaza Strip and it became a terrorist state.” He would ensure that all Palestinians forcibly emigrated to Israel’s neighboring countries. “I suggest Jordan, most Jordanians are Palestinians, or Egypt, they are Arab Muslims. There is Syria and Lebanon. You can certainly help them.”
He lays out a very personal idea of what the path to peace should look like: “The first thing is to destroy those who hope to drive us out, that is the first step to peace.” Dror only recognizes one mistake on Prime Minister Benjamin’s part Netanyahu, whose policies he supports: “We should have destroyed Hamas when it emerged.”
A hundred meters away as the crow flies, Palestinian Bedouins graze their herds. Dror claims to have seen a video of his neighbors on TikTok on the day of the Hamas attack. “They applauded, they were happy with what happened.” To which he replies bitterly that we must continue to build new colonies. There will soon be buildings here, he claims. In the West Bank, an estimated 475,000 Israelis live in settlements that are considered illegal under international law.