BBC team's tense encounter with sanctioned Israeli settler while filming in West Bank

Dust was rising connected the track. It hung successful the blistery midday aerial arsenic the achromatic jeep came towards us. The operator was little than a infinitesimal away.

"I deliberation it's Moshe Sharvit," said Gil Alexander, 72, a devout spiritual Jew who tries to support Palestinian shepherds from intimidation by Jewish settlers.

Over the past twelvemonth we've been documenting his enactment with shepherds successful the bluish Jordan Valley, successful the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The antheral approaching america was placed nether sanctions by Britain and the EU past twelvemonth aft they said helium had utilized "physical aggression, threatened families astatine gunpoint, and destroyed spot arsenic portion of a targeted and calculated effort to displace Palestinian communities".

In a lawsuit reported by our colleagues astatine BBC Eye Investigates past year, a Palestinian grandma alleged that Moshe Sharvit had forced her to permission her household location successful October 2023. Ayesha Shtayyeh besides said helium pointed a weapon astatine her caput and threatened to termination her.

"We've been present for 50 years…What person I ever done to him?" she asked erstwhile BBC Eye interviewed her.

She said her family's troubles began aft Moshe Sharvit established a alleged 'outpost'- a colony that is amerciable nether some Israeli and planetary instrumentality - chasing distant the family's sheep, damaging spot and perpetually threatening them. The alleged incidental with the weapon was the last straw.

Moshe Sharvit did not respond to BBC Eye's requests for a effect to Ayesha's account.

Back connected the mountainside, the antheral accused of this unit stopped his car and approached us. Nodding towards Gil Alexander helium asked us: "Do you cognize he's a precise unsafe guy?"

When our translator explained to Moshe Sharvit we were from the BBC helium said: "Ah the BBC… large lovers of Israel…" He went connected to telephone america atrocious and unsafe people.

Addressing our translator helium said: "So, bash you recognize that they're the radical who are astir unsafe to the State of Israel?"

Then helium phoned the police, asking them to travel to the scene. When helium wasn't calling the constabulary helium filmed america filming him.

Moshe Sharvit and Gil Alexander correspond starkly antithetic visions of Israel's future.

While Moshe Sharvit believes each of the West Bank - which settlers and the Israeli authorities telephone Judea and Samaria - were fixed by God to the Jews.

In this helium is supported by elder ministers successful the government, including the Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, and the Minister of Public Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir. Both men are settlers and leaders of far-right ultranationalist parties.

Smotrich has said Gaza volition beryllium "totally destroyed" and that its radical volition beryllium "totally despairing, knowing that determination is nary anticipation and thing to look for successful Gaza and volition beryllium looking for relocation to statesman a caller beingness successful different places".

The 'other places' helium envisages are overseas countries. Ben-Gvir, who is liable for the police, has convictions for inciting racism and supporting a violent organisation.

Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, relies connected the enactment of the far-right settler question to support his authorities successful power.

He criticised the sanctions imposed connected Moshe Sharvit and different settlers, saying his authorities viewed the determination "with large severity". US sanctions against Moshe Sharvit were dropped erstwhile President Donald Trump came to power.

The UN's apical tribunal ruled past twelvemonth that Israel's concern of the Palestinian territories is against planetary instrumentality and that each colony enactment is illegal.

Israel rejects this and argues that settlements are indispensable for security, citing lethal attacks by Palestinian gunmen connected settlers, specified arsenic the sidesplitting of 3 radical past January successful the West Bank.

Settlement enlargement is anathema to Gil Alexander. He considers himself a Zionist, but wrong the existing borders of Israel.

These are the frontiers that existed earlier it seized the West Bank successful the 1967 Middle East war, aft neighbouring Arab countries launched a astonishment attack.

He is portion of a web called the Jordan Valley Activists – Moshe Sharvit calls them "anarchists" - offering solidarity, and moving for peaceful co-existence with the Palestinians.

"What they [the settlers] privation to spot happen," Gil Alexander told us, "[is] that it volition beryllium an country wholly escaped of Arabs. It isn't Moshe. It's each the radical supra him who sent him here. Meaning from the top".

Moshe Sharvit's tendency to person the Jordan Valley bare of Palestinians is shared by the person of the determination council, a government-supported body, David Elhayani, who has visited the sanctioned settler.

In his aerial conditioned bureau astir 15km (9 miles) from Moshe Sharvit's settler outpost helium told america "the conception of settler unit is an invention of the anarchist, utmost near meant to harm the colony image".

As for the aboriginal of the Palestinians, helium was emphatic. They should spell to neighbouring Jordan.

"This state needs to beryllium escaped of Arabs. It's the lone way. It's a planetary interest. Why global? Because the infinitesimal determination won't beryllium Arabs present it volition beryllium a Jewish federation for the Jews who won't person to wounded each other, determination won't beryllium conflict, determination won't beryllium anything."

Gil Alexander and Moshe Sharvit person a past of antagonism. During an altercation connected a Palestinian farmer's onshore successful January 2023, Moshe Sharvit says Gil Alexander tried to prehend his firearm from its holster.

While speaking to our translator helium produced a video of the incidental connected his phone.

"You tin spot Gil Alexander. Same chapeau and glasses. That's me. Here you spot helium grabs my gun."

Gil Alexander says helium was acting successful self-defence aft Moshe Sharvit had grabbed his walking stick, and the telephone of his person and violently pushing it.

He says helium feared Moshe Sharvit was going to usage the weapon. As a result, Moshe Sharvit got a restraining bid which forbids Gil Alexander from being wrong 2.5km (1.5 miles) of his farm.

The constabulary person charged Gil Alexander with amerciable possession of a limb (the 1 helium allegedly tried to instrumentality from Moshe Sharvit) and assault. The contented volition beryllium considered by the Israeli courts.

Moshe Sharvit himself is the taxable of a restraining bid forbidding him to attack a Palestinian household surviving adjacent his outpost for six months, since March this year.

During our brushwood the settler claimed that Gil Alexander had breached his restraining bid by taking america to the precocious crushed overlooking the valley. The bid activistic told america aboriginal that helium had mistakenly strayed conscionable implicit fractional a kilometre wrong the country of the order.

Although Moshe Sharvit's colony is illegal, adjacent nether Israeli law, it has not been removed.

Human rights organisations and galore eyewitnesses attest that the Israeli service and constabulary often basal by portion settlers onslaught Palestinian villages.

The unit has escalated sharply since the 7 October 2023 Hamas onslaught connected Israel successful which astir 1,200 radical were killed and 251 kidnapped, and which triggered the Gaza war.

According to a study issued by the UN bureau for Humanitarian Affairs determination were 1,804 attacks by settlers against Palestinians successful the play January 2024 to March 2025.

The Israeli quality rights group, Yesh Din (There is Law), reported that lone 3% of complaints made against settlers resulted successful a conviction. In six days past period - from 22 to 28 April - the UN recorded 14 incidents involving settlers that near 36 Palestinians injured.

In the tense ambiance connected the mountainside, and wanting to debar immoderate escalation, we decided to leave.

As we walked away, Moshe Sharvit went to his jeep and drove up of us, stopping wherever the way turned down the mountain. Our mode retired was blocked. There was no-one we could entreaty to isolated from the antheral preventing america from leaving.

Again, helium phoned the constabulary asking them to come. Gil Alexander phoned the constabulary and his lawyer. Our squad was disquieted that much settlers would come.

Then thing astonishing happened. I suggested to Moshe Sharvit that helium should hold to beryllium interviewed. After a little pause, helium said: "Bring the camera."

What followed was little an interview, than a bid of declarations. He was doing the enactment of God, helium said.

Why did section Bedouin shepherds accidental they were precise acrophobic of him? I asked.

"No, that is simply a lie. They're telling stories truthful the satellite volition deliberation we're crazy. It's not true. It's each lies that are built connected lies of dozens of years of lying…" helium said.

"The Arabs, since the enactment of the state and earlier - each the past 77 years they've been preoccupied with harming the radical of Israel, harming the onshore of Israel and causing the federation of Israel to beryllium miserable and pitiful. But they don't recognize that the harder they try, the Lion volition aftermath from his slumber and wrong 1 time we'll extremity this story."

He repeated the analogy of the Lion aboriginal successful the interrogation saying, successful what sounded similar ominous words, that the Palestinians were "pushing the lion truthful hard into the country that determination volition beryllium nary prime near but to decorativeness this story".

"7 October was small. One time it'll beryllium big."

As for peaceful co-existence specified arsenic Gil Alexander supports, helium said determination was "no specified happening arsenic bid with enemies who effort to destruct you".

Moshe Sharvit's member Harel was killed warring successful Gaza successful December 2023.

His satellite is the pastureland, the stony hills of the Jordan Valley, his sheep and cattle, the furniture and meal helium has opened.

He produced a glossy video, replete with a backing way of American state music, to beforehand his venture.

He spoke with contempt for the British sanctions against him. They were a caller benignant of antisemitism, helium claimed.

"The infinitesimal idiosyncratic tries to wounded maine I get stronger. My spirit…I person energies, my tone continues connected its mission, I proceed advancing guardant and planting roots heavy into the onshore of Israel. I'm not bothered by Britain oregon America oregon anyone."

Then helium drove away. We were escaped to determination on. Later arsenic we were having luncheon successful a café astir 15km (nine miles) away, a policeman appeared, looking for Gil Alexander.

He went with the constabulary serviceman for questioning. After astir an hr helium returned, telling america helium had been ordered not to participate the Jordan Valley for 2 weeks. He plans to lodge his ain ailment against Moshe Sharvit implicit the incident.

We went to Gil Alexander's location successful a kibbutz wrong Israel that overlooks the Valley. Gunmen from the Palestinian metropolis of Jenin fired astatine the kibbutz 2 years ago.

Gil Alexander is not a pacifist. If helium is attacked by Hamas oregon immoderate different group, helium volition support himself.

He said: "A lad of our friends, 2 months agone helium was killed present by a terrorist. He was a worker successful the reserves, 46 years aged with six children. He volunteered for the reserves to support me."

"If the service hadn't been there, they would person travel here. He was killed portion defending me. And contiguous helium is buried adjacent to my 2 sons."

But Gil Alexander seemed weary arsenic we sat drinking beverage amid the agleam reddish flowers of his well-tended garden, and the fluttering yellowish flags that symbolise Israel's hostages held successful Gaza.

He spoke of a beloved nephew killed warring successful Lebanon successful an earlier war.

Did helium not, I wondered, astatine the property of 72, deliberation astir retiring from the conflict and enjoying his garden? He laughed.

There was nary accidental of that. After 2 of his sons took their ain lives – 1 was successful the army, the different was astir to participate the subject – helium had recovered a intent successful moving for what helium calls the "humanitarian" ideals of Judaism.

"After the tragedies of my sons, if I don't find meaning successful life, I'll spell crazy… And the things I do, are things I judge in. And these are things I besides got from my begetter who was successful the French underground during World War Two and fought for French liberation but was against immoderate benignant of concern and said, 'Occupation is Occupation.'"

Two days aft our brushwood with Moshe Sharvit, a lone pistillate bid activistic filmed him banging connected the model of her car and rocking the vehicle.

The pistillate is intelligibly frightened by the intimidation. Moshe Sharvit acts arsenic if helium has thing to fear.