Unsettled Podcast: "The Shepherd and the Settler"

Date: September 23, 2020

Overview

This episode of Unsettled—originally produced in collaboration with the BBC World Service and the Sundance Institute—follows producer Max Friedman as he spends a day with Mohammed, a Bedouin shepherd in Rishash, a small herding community in the West Bank. The episode explores life under Israeli occupation, daily harassment from settlers, and the struggles of Palestinian communities. Alongside interviews with Israeli settlers, activists, and experts, the documentary draws out the complexities of identity, belonging, and justice in Israel-Palestine.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Routine and Hardships of a Bedouin Shepherd

Setting the Scene in Rishash

• Daily Life: Mohammed describes a once-peaceful routine of grazing sheep, milking, and selling cheese.

  "You wander with the flock, the woman milk the sheep and turn it into cheese. You sell it. That’s our routine." (01:36, Mohammed)

• Land Restrictions: Settler presence has drastically limited grazing lands.

  "But we prevent it from coming here. Since the settlers arrived and started limiting us. There are big areas we cannot go here. We go only if the activists are with us." (01:36, Mohammed)

2. Activist Accompaniment and Confrontation with Settlers

Documenting a Day on the Ground

• Israeli Activist Support: Aviv, an activist, routinely accompanies families like Mohammed’s for protection, highlighting the need for solidarity.
• Confrontation: A dramatic encounter unfolds as a settler on an ATV tries to intimidate the shepherds and activists.

  "Without a word, Aviv runs towards the ATV and stands directly in its way...the driver gives up, reverses and drives off." (02:42–03:45, Max)

• Escalation: Settlers and activists call the police on each other, blurring lines of authority.
• Continued Harassment: Settlers employ intimidation tactics—ATVs, horses, loud music—to displace the flock repeatedly.

  "If I was any more tired, I couldn't get angry." (06:25, Mohammed)

3. Contextualizing the Territory and the Settlements

Political and Historical Framing

• Military Occupation: The West Bank has been under Israeli military occupation since 1967.

• Legal and Demographic Dilemmas: Competing perspectives from Israeli and Palestinian voices about annexation, legal ambiguity, and the consequences for both peoples.

  "If they actually absorbed the Palestinians at the time, it would have disrupted a Jewish demographic majority." (09:44, Noura Erakat)

• Settlements as an Ongoing Issue: Settlements are viewed internationally as illegal, but Israeli law and opinion are mixed.

  "There was a commission in Israel called the Levy Commission that actually argued very strenuously that even according to international law, they are completely legal." (11:51, Daniel Gordas)

• Outposts Beyond the Law: Unauthorized outposts, such as Malache ha Shalom (“Angels of Peace”), provoke particular anxiety for local Palestinians.

4. Personal Stories and Identity

Interviewing Settlers & Examining Motivations

• Settler Motivation: Danny Spielman, a long-time resident, expresses both biblical and practical attachments to the land.

  "You learn the Bible. So it gets into you. It's part of your personality. The Jewish people used to live in these areas. We were driven out by the Romans 1800 years ago. We want to come back and settle the area." (15:24, Danny Spielman)

• Ambivalence about Law: Danny recognizes unauthorized settlements as technically illegal but notes the Israeli state still supplies them infrastructure and support.

• Activist and Settler Narratives Clash:

  "The law is not with him, but the law enforcement is with him." (13:29, Mohammed)
  "As long as they accept the fact that you own the land, they could go on living over here. We could be good neighbors, no problem." (17:23, Danny Spielman)

5. The Power of Narrative and Faith

Community, Prayer, and National Identity

• Naming Ironies:

  "One of the most amazing details of this day is that the outpost that has been giving these guys trouble for the last two years is called, in Hebrew, Angels of Peace." (07:23, Max)

• Reflections on Jewish Identity:

  "Support for Israel was central to Jewish life...That same community taught values like justice and tolerance with no acknowledgment of how Palestinians like Mohammed live under Israeli occupation." (07:59, Max)

• Rabbis and Idolatry: Rabbi Arik Asherman urges caution against turning the land itself into an idol at the expense of human dignity.

  "When in the name of possessing the entire land of Israel, you oppress the Palestinian shepherd, that is our modern idolatry...They can't see God's image where it exists, which is in every single human being, Jewish or non Jewish." (23:00, Rabbi Arik Asherman)

6. Barriers to Dialogue and the Elusive Settler

Attempts to Speak Directly to the Outpost Leader

• Distrust of Media: Settlers and supporters are reluctant to engage with journalists, citing perceived anti-Israel bias.

  "I don't trust BBC to portray Israel in a good light. Of course, it's very well known that BBC has an anti Israel bias." (19:22, Shalom Pollack)

• National Narrative Rift: A profound debate between Jewish identities emerges.

  "Jewish is being part of the Jewish national narrative. We are a nation." (20:59, Shalom Pollack)

• Clashing Worldviews: Even within the Jewish diaspora, the question of what constitutes Jewish identity and the meaning of Israel varies widely.

7. Consequences and Uncertain Futures

The Aftermath and Prospects for Shepherd Communities

• Ongoing Displacement:

  "Since I visited Reshash a few months ago, at least three other Bedouin communities in the area have packed up and moved away. Muhammad and his family are still there, but...If Muhammad's family does have to leave, it would be the fourth time they've been displaced since Israel was established in 1948." (25:21, Max)

• Attachment to Land vs. Prospects for Peace:

  "We have a strong relationship with this land. I love this life...This is our life." (25:42, Mohammed)

• Mutual Recognition or Exclusion: Noura Erakat argues for a future where “the claims to belonging are not mutually exclusive, but mutually reinforcing.” (18:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "The law is not with him, but the law enforcement is with him."
  (13:29, Mohammed—on the imbalance of power in law enforcement in the West Bank)

• "If it stays like this, it’s intolerable."
  (25:07, Mohammed—on the ongoing pressure from settlers)

• "When in the name of possessing the entire land of Israel, you oppress the Palestinian shepherd, that is our modern idolatry."
  (23:00, Rabbi Arik Asherman)

• "Of course, we are very, very much against violence. You do what you’re allowed to do according to the law, to Israeli law."
  (15:51, Danny Spielman—on settling the land)

• "We have a common history. Should have a common dream. If a Jew has no connection to the idea of a Jewish land or the idea of a Jewish people, then not too much is left of that person's Judaism."
  (20:37, Shalom Pollack)

• "I love this life for 30 years, my whole life. You want me to go to a city? No, I can’t. This is our life."
  (25:42, Mohammed)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:29–02:10: Introduction to Mohammed's daily life and the impact of settlers
• 02:42–04:11: Confrontation with settler on ATV; activist intervention
• 05:30–06:33: Continued harassment and exhaustion from constant displacement
• 08:41–11:17: Legal context, demographic concerns, settlement policies
• 12:36–13:29: Unauthorized settler outposts and provocations
• 13:29–15:22: Visiting an authorized settlement and settler perspectives
• 19:22–21:36: Engaging Jewish nationalism and questions of identity with Shalom Pollack
• 23:00–23:54: Rabbi Asherman discusses idolatry and justice in Judaism
• 25:21–25:42: Future uncertainty and enduring attachment to the land

Tone and Language

The documentary maintains a thoughtful, reflective tone, weaving together first-hand reportage, emotional encounters, and deeply personal reflections. It gives equal weight to the stories and perspectives of Palestinians, Israeli settlers, activists, and diaspora Jews seeking to understand the region’s complexities.

Summary

“The Shepherd and the Settler” offers an intimate, nuanced portrait of the daily reality in the West Bank for Palestinian shepherds like Mohammed and the intense contention surrounding Israeli settlements. Through detailed storytelling and on-the-ground reporting, the episode magnifies both the suffering and resilience of local Palestinians, the internal debates among Israelis and diaspora Jews, and the stubborn, unresolved questions of justice, identity, and belonging. The podcast exemplifies Unsettled’s mission: to open space for difficult, honest conversations rarely found in mainstream Jewish or American discourse about Israel and Palestine.