Channel 14 Premieres Shimon Riklin's New West Bank Documentary
Channel 14 host Shimon Riklin is premiering his new documentary "Lords of the Land," focusing on the strategic shift toward pastoral farming and outposts in the West Bank.
Shimon Riklin, a prominent journalist and host on Channel 14, is premiering a major documentary project titled "Lords of the Land," with its first episode, "Crossing the Jordan," airing tonight at 22:30. The series explores what Riklin describes as the most significant revolution in Zionist history: the establishment of hundreds of settlements and pastoral farms across the West Bank.
The Pastoral Farm Revolution
At the core of the documentary is the strategic shift in West Bank settlement over recent years, moving away from large walled urban communities toward pastoral and agricultural outposts. While traditional construction focused on dense population centers leaving vast open spaces unmonitored, the farm model utilizes small groups—often a single family and volunteers—using herds of livestock to establish a continuous presence and secure thousands of dunams of open land in Area C.
The film tells the story of the greatest revolution in the history of Zionism through the establishment of hundreds of settlements and connection to the land in a remarkably short time.
Institutional Support and Policy
The documentary examines the institutional framework supporting these outposts, particularly the efforts of Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich and Minister of Settlements and National Missions Orit Strock. Through the Settlement Administration, the government has advanced the legalization of numerous outposts and secured unprecedented state land declarations.
Concluding a documentary trilogy by Riklin following "The Shin Bet Knew" and "Always Guilty," the film underscores Channel 14's commitment to high-profile ideological programming during prime time.
