Israeli Backpackers in India: The Big Trip and Criticism of Zionism

Israelis aren't just settlers in Israel.

They're moving and colonizing the world.

Parts of their town are being taken over.

Go to Gaza, we'll genocide you too. Pushing local limits in Thailand.

Love Israel. Zionist territories in the north of Cyprus.

From backpacking trails in South and Southeast Asia- Shoulder a backpack, and disappear into the world ... to quiet European mountain towns, you'll find Israelis.

We've mostly seen them take two forms: the war criminals fresh from service- Then they go to detox in India ... and the liberals fleeing what they claim is a failing democracy.

On the surface, they couldn't seem more different, but watch how they move through the world, and you can see how Zionism produces a particular relationship to land and other people, one that is exploitative and violent,

and that is not limited to Palestine. Between the two, one shows us how settlers act, and the other, how they think.

For decades, tens of thousands of young Israelis have been going to South and Southeast Asia every year.

It's a rite of passage for recently discharged soldiers, known as the Big Trip.

See, when Jewish Israelis graduate from high school at 18 years old, most of them are required to serve in the occupation forces, and after spending two or three years, many Israelis take months off afterwards to backpack, party, do drugs, and find themselves.

India is one of the most popular destinations, so popular that Israelis have their own backpacking route, the Hummus Trail.

Places such as Dharmkot, Old Manali, Vashisht, and Kasol have nearly half of their population of Israeli nationality.

Street signs in Hebrew, cafes serving fresh falafel and shakshuka.

One town called Kasol has been nicknamed Little Israel.

Institutions like Chabad and others have also set up shop on the trail.

He's one of a number of rabbis sent from Israel.