It was only after he was singled out for sanctions by the US government last week that they learned his real name: Yitzhak Levi Filant.
On paper, Filant is merely the security coordinator (ravshatz) of the Yitzhar settlement, perched on a West Bank hilltop south of Nablus overlooking a string of ancient Palestinian villages strung out on the steep slopes below.
However, with the frequent and arbitrary use of force, he has made himself a warlord of the whole Jabal Salman valley. He has stood out from a phalanx of brutal settler bosses to earn himself the title of "specially designated national" from the US Treasury and State Department, for "malign activities outside the scope of his authority" - blacklisted and banned from receiving funds from Americans.
The citation against him last month mentioned an incident in February this year when "he led a group of armed settlers to set up roadblocks and conduct patrols to pursue and attack Palestinians in their lands and forcefully expel them from their lands".
This was just a single sample drawn from a regular pattern of intimidation which has continued up to the imposition of sanctions on 28 August. A week earlier, armed men had fired teargas into the football field of Burin high school, while children were playing.
"We haven't come here for more than a week because we are afraid the children will get injured," said Ghassan Najjar, the head of an agricultural cooperative. "We can't take responsibility for that." Najjar was speaking near a low stone wall at the back of the pitch, watched intently by armed men in a concrete observation post 100 metres up the hillside.
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin September 09, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin September 09, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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