Haaretz, Sep. 1, 2021

Life is good in Sela’it: a Montessori school, no fence nor occupation visible from the balcony, no checkpoints, and, most importantly, no Arabs. Instead, there's a view that stretches to the sea. It’s no wonder that in the last election, 75 percent of the residents voted for the left and center parties – more than in Tel Aviv. They’re not really a settlement; after all, they’re just dwelling on land the state confiscated for “security needs.”

This was an important presidential visit. It demonstrated yet again that annexation occurred long ago. Herzog did not travel abroad, he was traveling in the heart of Israel. If Har Bracha is part of the state, the state is an apartheid state. Herzog offered recognition of this, for all to see. The president completely ignored the existence of most of the population in the area he visited; for him, as for all Israelis, it does not exist.

When Herzog meets with European and American dignitaries, he will tell them how much he supports the peace process and the two-state solution, and they will fawn over him. Like him, they are all for peace and justice. Just like another president, Balthazar Johannes Vorster, who headed the previous apartheid state, and who was also a friend of Israel.