Israeli settlers: Patriots or invaders? | Head to Head

A UN report says Israeli settlements violate human rights and could be prosecuted as war crimes, but many Israeli settlers consider themselves patriots. So what hope is there for peace in the Middle East?

In a country where settlers are now one of the biggest and strongest political movements, Dani Dayan, a Netanyahu advisor and the outgoing chairman of the Yesha (Settlers) Council, says there is no two-state solution to the conflict and that he is happy with the status quo.

Dayan has been a major in the Israeli army, a successful IT entrepreneur, and a University lecturer. He openly campaigned for Binyamin Netanyahu.

Mehdi Hasan goes head to head with Dayan at the Oxford Union, discussing whether Zionism is a colonialist project, whether the so-called apartheid roads are just an urban legend - and more importantly, what is the solution to this protracted conflict?

Are the settlements a natural extension of the Israeli state or the single biggest obstacle to peace in the Middle East? Will the Palestinians ever be able to build an independent and viable state?
Joining our discussion are:

Dr. Ghada Karmi, an academic and the author of The Palestinian Exodus (1999), In Search for Fatima (2002), and Israel’s Dilemma in Palestine (2007).

Sam Westrop, a former director of the British Israel Coalition, and a fellow of the New York-based Gatestone Institute.

Hannah Weisfeld, the director of Yachad, a pro-peace, pro-Israel NGO based in London.

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