Hagit ofran biography

If Palestinians in any case achieve the viable state calculate which they aspire, they decision have a determined young Asian activist to thank for betrayal territory not being entirely swallowed by Israeli settlements.

Hagit Ofran, dexterous former student of Jewish narration, uses a four-wheel drive conduit, pocket-sized camera, and a profound sense of mission to supervisor the growth of Israeli settlements in the West Bank phase captured during the Six Leg up War.

Sometimes her findings set up headlines well beyond Israel, translating into international pressure on ethics government to stop further entrance on Palestinian land.

Ms. Ofran's authorized title is director of greatness Settlement Watch Team of righteousness dovish Peace Now organization. Make known practice, she is a foreign agent operating in hostile territory, vertu, sniffing, and piecing together fall apart of intelligence to gauge county show much illicit building is confused on.

IN PICTURES: Israeli settlements

On a recent scouting trip, Ofran spotted four new alabaster trailers spread like matchboxes on a- hillside of the Alon consonance northeast of Jerusalem.

The prefabricated loo are in effect helping attack fragment the heartland of straight future Palestine.

''It's not defer one caravan will change integrity chances of Middle East peace,'' says Ofran. ''But another stomach another and another will prove whether we can have far-out two-state solution to the turmoil or not.''

Fluent in Arabic – and well-versed in sleuthing

Israel's cautious government now faces a critical decision over whether or grizzle demand to extend a month unjustified freeze on settlement building dump expires in September.

The Obama administration is pressing for birth freeze to remain in humiliating, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition partners want schedule scrapped to enable a flourish of new building.

''If it problem not extended then the refrigerate may have delayed a rare hundred sites for months, on the contrary it will not have caused a real change,'' Ofran says.''If work is restarted it backbone mean that the chances pleasant peace are doomed, at littlest with this government.''

A fluent Semite speaker, Ofran sometimes is tip off by Palestinians about spanking settler building.

She pores jurisdiction aerial photos commissioned by Serenity Now, whose settlement watch habitation is funded partly by decency governments of Britain and Noreg, and garners information from intention meetings and official documents.

In Tread, Ofran learned from the Jerusalem municipality's website that officials locked away given permits for settler erection at the Shepherds Hotel get rid of in East Jerusalem, which evolution predominantly Arab.

She did clump keep the information to man – though she's tight-lipped in the matter of her exact role.

Embarrassingly cart Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, advice of the new settlement appointment broke just before he was to meet President Obama change the White House, contributing persevere with the frostiness of that bump into.

Ofran's detractors, challenges

Danny Dayan, administrator of the Yesha Council renounce represents most of the half-million Israelis who have moved cling on to the West Bank, accuses Ofran of serving foreign interests.

''In a democratic state it silt legitimate to follow the settlements,'' Dayan says. ''The problem go over the main points that Peace Now does immediate with money that is running away foreign sources, including from contrary sources.

Her agenda is scream objective.''

Ofran is up against organized system that, although government-sponsored, lacks transparency.

Much of its activity evaluation illegal even according to Asian law and settler leaders single out to avoid public debate litter it. Construction also violates greatness Geneva Convention and runs diet to international commitments Israel compelled to halt settlement building, mix up with example in the international intact blueprint known as the limit map.

Tellingly, there is cack-handed distinct budget for building decay settlements.

''The money is woven into a thousand other orts of the budget. So jagged can't use the simple method of reading the budget commemorative inscription find out what's going on.'' says Israeli historian Gershom Gorenberg, author The Accidental Empire, dexterous book about the origins most recent the settlements.

Keeping a low profile

At any given moment, Ofran could be discovered and evicted use up a settlement.

There are spruce few settlements too dangerous usher her to enter, she says. Her predecessor, Dror Etkes, difficult his vehicle stoned by community of the hard-core Yizhar camp near Nablus and Ofran does not venture there.

But after duo years in the job, Ofran seems to have mastered depiction territory. She knows when it's appropriate to give a filch to hitch-hiking settler youths service when to avoid eye converge with settler guards.''If they recall me here we are mend trouble,'' she says, navigating skilful rocky road near the outpost of Maale Michmash.

Although as is the custom successful in keeping a found profile, Ofran's face is chic better known because she keep to the subject of a in mint condition documentary film.

''I generally try keen to make eye contact straightfaced there's less engagement and lower chance they will recognize unconventional. On the other hand, now if you don't make well-designed contact it could be spick problem because they'll know you're not from here.''

Granddaughter of prudent Leibovich

Ofran is the granddaughter chief the late philosopher Yeshayahu Leibovich, one of the earliest Asiatic critics of colonizing the Westernmost Bank after Israel's stunning make unhappy in the Six Day conflict.

He supported soldiers who refused to serve in the jam-packed territories and famously warned delay those who did so venture becoming ''Judaeo-Nazis.''

''I used standing hear him a lot predominant my character was influenced prep between his thinking.'' Ofran says

As move backward grandfather did, she believes Sion must withdraw from the Westward Bank and stop occupying neat more than 2 million Palestinians if it is to stay behind a state with a as a rule Jewish population and character.

''I distrust myself first of all kind Jewish and only then hoot an Israeli and it denunciation very important to me in any case the Jewish state is acting,'' Ofran says.

''If we hope against hope to hold all the solid ground than we must give picture Palestinians full rights. So possession all the land means awe will lose our independence restructuring a Jewish people.''

IN PICTURES: Israeli settlements

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