Andrey X, journalist and TikTok phenomenon, testifies about ethnic cleansing in the West Bank
23 June 2025
4 minutes
Andrey Khrzhanovskiy, better known as Andrey X on TikTok and Instagram, has been reporting on the ethnic cleansing in the West Bank for years. Countless villages are being taken over by Israeli settlers through intimidation, theft and violence. The 27-year-old journalist, himself Jewish and Russian by descent, uses his videos to sound the alarm for Palestinian communities that are increasingly being squeezed: “It’s definitely never been this bad, and it could get worse,” he says.
Three years ago, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Andrey Khrzhanovskiy saw no future for himself as a political journalist in Russia: "You can either remain silent or go to jail," he says. His Jewish heritage made it easy for him to obtain an Israeli passport. He decided to move quickly.
A look at apartheid
Andrey himself explains that he knew little about the situation in Israel and Palestine at that time. “But at some point you realize that you are part of an apartheid system.”
A conversation with the owner of a Palestinian café in Jaffa where he worked made a deep impression. The café owner recounted how he had traveled to Jordan to visit relatives who had been expelled from the city since 1948 and could no longer return: "And there we were, him, whose relatives had lived here for generations, but couldn't even get a tourist visa. And me, whose ancestors lived here perhaps 2.000 years ago. The injustice was glaringly obvious to me."
There is a whole other world right next to you, which is completely invisible.
But that realization did fuel Andrey's commitment. He began working with human rights organizations in the West Bank. Two months before the war in Gaza broke out, he and colleagues launched an initiative to inform Russian immigrants: “Those who immigrate and get an Israeli passport go through programs that paint a picture that is miles away from reality,” he says.
You can live in Tel Aviv, for example, and still ignore the fact that a village half an hour's drive away is being ethnically cleansed. There's a completely different world right next to you, one that's deliberately made invisible.
POLITIZATION OF YOUNG AND OLD
The Israeli government is therefore trying to push the population in one direction through the education system and with compulsory military service. inadequate reporting on the war plays a major role according to Andrey: “If you look at Israeli media, you can choose between fascist and very fascist.”
If you look at the Israeli media, you can choose between fascist and very fascist.
He then refers to a publication by The Times of Israel about an Israeli airstrike that killed nine children from the same family in GazaThe comments on the article were full of denial: “It is a fact that this is not a one-time tragedy, but that something like this happens every day. Yet, according to Times of Israel readers, due to a lack of information, this is unbelievable—or worse: they think it's okay for it to happen.”
No protection, no rights
Andrey is now at work daily confronted with the violence of colonistsHe testifies to the powerlessness of Palestinian residents: “It’s definitely never been this bad, and it could get worse. Every day, there are insane situations where settlers attack communities, and then the army arrests the Palestinians they beat up.”
The police also allow the settler gangs to act. In Ras al-Auja, a community where Andrey spent a lot of time, 1.500 sheep were stolen. Families lost everything they had, but had to wait outside the police station for three days before they were allowed to file a complaint.
The case went to the Israeli courts, but to no avail. "There was clear video footage, and we knew the perpetrators' names. But the court didn't award the families any compensation," the activist explains. "In a healthy society, you're supposed to turn to an authority when you're wronged. But here, that authority sides with your attackers."
Fear of international pressure
On social media, Andrey is trying to generate as much attention as possible for the violence and human rights situation in the West Bank. According to him, Both settlers and authorities are afraid of international pressure“When an incident receives a lot of attention, things often become quieter on the scene for a while.”
The money taps must be turned off.
After all, he doesn't believe that change will come from within Israeli society itself. He looks to us, the rest of the international community, for that. Trade boycotts and an end to investments in illegal settlements According to Andrey, these measures could make a difference. Belgium also has a similar bill ready to ban trade with occupied territories. It was submitted by CD&V and Vooruit in August 2024, but has not yet been put to a vote.
"The money taps must be turned off. Otherwise, this will continue indefinitely. Until then, I will continue fighting, along with countless Palestinians, against the injustice that surrounds them.”
