Israeli brothers at odds over West Bank occupation

They shared a childhood in a West Bank Jewish settlement but as adults Yaakov and Yonatan Berg have developed radically different views about Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.

The brothers were raised in a settlement called Psagot, which like all Jewish communities in the West Bank is regarded as illegal under international law.

Yaakov, 44, has become a prominent public defender of the rights of Israelis to live in the territory that Israel has occupied since the Six Day War of 1967, which some Jews refer to by the biblical names of Judea and Samaria.

Yonatan, 39, is an activist and writer who denounces the occupation and campaigns for peace with the Palestinians.

The dedication in Yonatan’s memoir, Leaving Psagot, summarises the core tension in their relationship. “To my brother, with whom I share the same view, but not the same point of view,” it reads.

Yaakov’s notoriety as a settler advocate hit a new peak last month when he hosted US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at his Psagot Winery.

Anti-occupation groups say the winery near Ramallah, which has a stunning panoramic view overlooking the Palestinian ­village of Mukhmas, was built on land stolen incrementally from Palestinians.

Mr Pompeo’s controversial trip made headlines because it marked the first visit to a Jewish settlement in the West Bank by a top US diplomat.

Read the article in The Australian (AFP).