A Washington Post photographer was beaten on Friday. Four and a half years ago, settlers pointed rifles at me, along with former IDF commanders and American Zionists who have given millions to Israel.
To me, the 2 most important priorities of the next Israeli government are dealing with the inside rot: stopping the settler violence and solving the haredi draft evasions. Only this way, can Israeli society not rift further which is a survival threat.
Ask the typical Religious Zionist, in an unguarded moment, and they will tell you that probably everyone in Gaza supports Hamas, even if they aren't formal members. And yet they are shocked, shocked, if you imply that most settlers support the Hilltop Youth.
Officially, the State of Israel considers the Hilltoppers and their ilk to be terrorists. Unofficially they get plenty of support, or at least hands-off treatment from the IDF. Which would, technically, make Israel a state sponsor of terror.
I love and support Israel, and I do not want it to continue down the pathway of becoming an international pariah. But...
Eli, this is a disturbing and important essay. Your account of having rifles pointed at you by Jewish teenagers is particularly chilling.
I recently read Dory Benami’s essay about the Hilltop Youth, and it challenged something in my own thinking. I’ve tended to regard these young men simply as violent thugs. But Benami describes another dimension: troubled adolescents, some barely teenagers, who have struggled at school or home and find belonging, purpose, and responsibility tending sheep on isolated hilltop farms.
It struck me how closely some of the dynamics resemble gang recruitment: alienation, belonging, territorial identity, peer approval, and escalating violence.
That doesn’t excuse a single attack on a Palestinian. But it raises another troubling question: to what extent are vulnerable Jewish children being exploited by adults pursuing ideological and territorial ambitions?
Your essay brings that question into sharper focus. When the state fails to enforce its laws, and then legitimizes outposts established through this process, it risks rewarding the very behavior it should be preventing.
And beyond policing lies the larger question of what continued settlement expansion means for Palestinian self-determination. We cannot preserve that possibility in rhetoric while steadily closing it on the ground.
Understanding how these boys become radicalized matters. So does asking who benefits from their radicalization.
It’s great that you’re speaking out against settler terrorism. That said, it’s a bit ridiculous that you also go out of your way to protect the settlers who are actively stealing Palestinian land by falsely labeling them as not being violent. Them supporting Israel’s ethnic cleansing project against Palestinians by choosing to live in stolen, contested land that are internationally recognized to be part of Palestine is violence. Additionally, they practice violence by overwhelmingly voting for Far-Right parties and governors who run on eradicating Palestinians.
Also, I don’t get why you think there’s too much international attention on Israeli settlements. There’s clearly not enough attention on them when many Israelis and international supporters of Israel are unaware about the settler terrorism. Additionally, Western countries, who claim to uphold justice and freedom, continue to support Israel, with the EU only recently carrying out sanctions against only the settlements
The article is a bit telling isn't it. Eli has seen the light that the roving bands of settlers pillaging the west bank isn't a completely good thing because they acted aggressive towards him, an Israeli jew. The Palestinians, who are the victims of this violence don't even rate a mention.
Ah, Hilltop Youth. They don’t recognize Israel…in some ways. And yes, settler violence is terrorism. You are right, the government could deal with it. But, not the Hilltop youth, others are part of this government’s base.
To me, the 2 most important priorities of the next Israeli government are dealing with the inside rot: stopping the settler violence and solving the haredi draft evasions. Only this way, can Israeli society not rift further which is a survival threat.
Thank you for this piece.
But it’s still a tiny minority of “settlers”, many of whom have been relentlessly antagonized by bad faith agents
Ask the typical Religious Zionist, in an unguarded moment, and they will tell you that probably everyone in Gaza supports Hamas, even if they aren't formal members. And yet they are shocked, shocked, if you imply that most settlers support the Hilltop Youth.
Officially, the State of Israel considers the Hilltoppers and their ilk to be terrorists. Unofficially they get plenty of support, or at least hands-off treatment from the IDF. Which would, technically, make Israel a state sponsor of terror.
I love and support Israel, and I do not want it to continue down the pathway of becoming an international pariah. But...
Show your readers what this little problem that's supposedly getting too much outside attention looks like.
https://substack.com/@tritaparsi/note/c-362496289?r=47lpp1
Eli, this is a disturbing and important essay. Your account of having rifles pointed at you by Jewish teenagers is particularly chilling.
I recently read Dory Benami’s essay about the Hilltop Youth, and it challenged something in my own thinking. I’ve tended to regard these young men simply as violent thugs. But Benami describes another dimension: troubled adolescents, some barely teenagers, who have struggled at school or home and find belonging, purpose, and responsibility tending sheep on isolated hilltop farms.
It struck me how closely some of the dynamics resemble gang recruitment: alienation, belonging, territorial identity, peer approval, and escalating violence.
That doesn’t excuse a single attack on a Palestinian. But it raises another troubling question: to what extent are vulnerable Jewish children being exploited by adults pursuing ideological and territorial ambitions?
Your essay brings that question into sharper focus. When the state fails to enforce its laws, and then legitimizes outposts established through this process, it risks rewarding the very behavior it should be preventing.
And beyond policing lies the larger question of what continued settlement expansion means for Palestinian self-determination. We cannot preserve that possibility in rhetoric while steadily closing it on the ground.
Understanding how these boys become radicalized matters. So does asking who benefits from their radicalization.
It’s great that you’re speaking out against settler terrorism. That said, it’s a bit ridiculous that you also go out of your way to protect the settlers who are actively stealing Palestinian land by falsely labeling them as not being violent. Them supporting Israel’s ethnic cleansing project against Palestinians by choosing to live in stolen, contested land that are internationally recognized to be part of Palestine is violence. Additionally, they practice violence by overwhelmingly voting for Far-Right parties and governors who run on eradicating Palestinians.
Also, I don’t get why you think there’s too much international attention on Israeli settlements. There’s clearly not enough attention on them when many Israelis and international supporters of Israel are unaware about the settler terrorism. Additionally, Western countries, who claim to uphold justice and freedom, continue to support Israel, with the EU only recently carrying out sanctions against only the settlements
The article is a bit telling isn't it. Eli has seen the light that the roving bands of settlers pillaging the west bank isn't a completely good thing because they acted aggressive towards him, an Israeli jew. The Palestinians, who are the victims of this violence don't even rate a mention.
I’m so sick of extremists on all sides causing such chaos and horrifying destruction
Ah, Hilltop Youth. They don’t recognize Israel…in some ways. And yes, settler violence is terrorism. You are right, the government could deal with it. But, not the Hilltop youth, others are part of this government’s base.