From "Boys" to "Barbarians".. Settler Terror in the West Bank Confuses the Governance Institution

SadaNews - After the West Bank has become prone to a major explosion due to the excesses and unruliness of settlers encouraged by Israeli government and military bodies, army brigade leaders operating there have called for the reintroduction of administrative detentions that were canceled by Defense Minister Israel Katz. The unruliness of the settlers, amid the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip over the past two years, has transitioned from the phase of "hilltop thugs" to "hilltop barbarians," according to an investigation published by the newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth."

The newspaper reported that, faced with the failure of various authorities to curb the wave of violence from extremist Jews against Palestinians, the patience of the Israeli army is wearing thin, especially after repeated clashes with them. In a private discussion held last month, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, with brigade leaders in the West Bank division, they requested immediate intervention to reintroduce administrative detention orders that Katz had canceled under pressure from politicians from the ministries of Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir.

This request came after repeated assaults by the "hilltop thugs" on Palestinian farmers and their stabbing of Palestinians, slaughtering their sheep, cutting down their trees, and destroying their property from Mount Hebron in the south to Nablus in the north. Officers in the army believe that the actions of the settlers are "sadistic," crossing all red lines, and that these actions are encouraged by ministers in the government, making it challenging for the army and police to arrest the assailants.

Some military leaders acknowledge that the current wave of violence carried out by the settlers, alongside implicit support from ministers and rabbis, stems from vengeful motives within the military institution following the release of 74 Palestinians in the recent exchange operations.

Sharon’s Encouragement

In any case, based on the principle that quantitative accumulation leads to qualitative change, the "hilltop boys" who were encouraged decades ago by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to occupy the hilltops of the West Bank have transformed into "hilltop thugs" who have become a striking force in establishing settlement outposts before evolving into "hilltop barbarians," according to the investigation by "Yedioth Ahronoth." The newspaper emphasized that this name is not an accusation but a name they chose for themselves, perhaps as a form of explicit threat to the Palestinians in the West Bank.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the "hilltop barbarians" is "the name of the most violent and extremist group in the hills of Judea and Samaria, which worries security agencies and settlers alike, instilling fear in both Jews and Arabs. Now, those who have remained silent in the face of attacks directed against Palestinians, and who have not responded firmly to the suffering of soldiers and police at the hands of these anarchists, are discovering that the fire is finally being directed - literally - at their settler neighbors."

The investigation prepared by Elisha Ben Kimon referenced an attack carried out by members of this group on a soldier living in a settlement outpost in Benjamin, where they burned his car last August while his wife and child were inside the house.

The reason was that this was punishment for his audacity to defend the law, and members of this gang came to his house to confront him with this matter. Near Benjamin as well, on a hill near the Kochav Hashachar settlement, an Israeli living nearby recently arrived to the area in his car, which was controlled by the same group of dozens of extremist youths. He felt scared when several of them approached him, masked and shirtless, carrying large rocks, and he pleaded with them not to smash his car. His pleas were of no use, they broke the windows of the car and slashed its tires, and fled.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the violence of this group does not only target Palestinians in the occupied territories but also soldiers and civilians who refuse to join their violent methods. The police have opened investigations into such incidents, but the only outcome has been reaching an agreement to keep these individuals away from the Kochav Hashachar settlement.

However, the journalistic investigation stated that "this epidemic is not treated with paracetamol. No one has been arrested in the case, and a few days later, a resident of Kochav Hashachar, a well-known activist in the hills, was brutally attacked in broad daylight by one of the criminals belonging to the core of the violence.

Shocked Settlers

Such events indicate that things are rapidly spiraling out of control. One well-known figure in the settlements, speaking on the condition of anonymity, stated: "We are all shocked. Attacks on Jews have occurred in the past, unfortunately, but this time there are some unusual events indicating that things are getting out of control. Violence directed against Palestinians or security forces is a regretful and familiar blow in Judea and Samaria, but the possibility of violent youths attacking Jewish residents is still uncommon there."

The same person questions: "How did we reach a point where Jews who supported and aided the hills are being attacked? You cannot build a hill without the support of the surrounding community, allowing for opening roads, transferring electricity and water, or organizing hot meals for the youth in the hills. They collect vast sums of money from the public, and the settlement must now put an end to this, as it will lead to bad outcomes."

In interpreting the situation, the newspaper stated: What has changed in the past two years? It appears that the success of these youths, in particular, has given them a sense of ownership of land above the law. The same source, who describes it as a "positive settlement chaos," said: "There is no doubt that there has been a noticeable advance during these two years."

This has also led to chaos caused by a handful of youths; it is clear that not everyone in the hills agrees with these actions, but the problem for the settlement is that they prefer to hide such incidents. It must be clear: the youths who support harming soldiers and police in the name of "ideology" are leading a chaotic disorder that ultimately harms the residents who do not approve of it.

When the force was directed against soldiers and Palestinians, the settler says, it was not important enough for the residents to raise their voices against the violence. "When the violence was directed against Palestinians, there were those who were satisfied with condemnations, and now it reaches their doorsteps."

A responsible security source explains that a wave of arrests occurred in some cases, stating, "We are at a crucial turning point in dealing with the incident, and if we act correctly, the reality here will be different." Now, even the settlers realize we are a step away from chaos.

The investigation discusses the existence of denial and fear of discussing the issue and indicates that the apprehension is justified and real, and even the army itself acknowledges that the "hilltop thugs" are not a romantic case of Jewish shepherds, but rather "act like criminals in the American West. They have no law or judge. They roam around in shirts that read: "The People of Israel Yes, the State of Israel No." They do not recognize institutions, and they are completely anti-Zionist."

These groups allow themselves to strip the state of its attributes and rid themselves of all burden, as a 13-year-old boy can be seen driving a car, without even having a driving license; and other youths set fire to vehicles. There is a connection between these events and attacks on security forces and attacks on Jews. When sensitive military facilities are burned, they are trying to deter security forces, and when civilian vehicles are set on fire, they are attempting to terrorize those who do not follow them.

Ideologically Driven Crimes

According to a senior police officer: "This is a group, some of whom do not live in the West Bank, and its members have criminal records that include robbery and acts of vandalism. They ideologize this crime, but what is the ideology behind stealing mobile phones and money from Palestinians? These are not "hills" or "youths." Violence has become rampant among members of these groups against both Arabs and Jews.

According to the newspaper, 92 incidents were recorded in June, including 9 arson attacks, 70 incidents in July, and 40 incidents in August. However, compared to last year, this is an increase.

Recent incidents also included disturbances that occurred in June at the site of Baal Hatzor, assaults on battalion commanders, stone-throwing, tire puncturing, attempted ramming, attempted arson at a police station in Beit El, writing vengeful messages at a police station, setting fire to a military vehicle that was completely burned, violent protests at the entrance to the Benjamin military police station, arson of a security facility at the Givat Asaf intersection, stone-throwing at a military vehicle at the same site, tire-sabotaging, a "vengeance operation" on a police vehicle, puncturing the tires of a police car in Shiloh, stone-throwing at security forces in Yitzhar, and the list goes on. This is without counting killings, arsons, and vandalism against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Alongside incidents of violence directed against army and police forces, a series of violent acts committed by the hilltop barbarians against Israelis continues. A few weeks ago, a group of anarchists embarked on a "price tag" operation in one of the villages of the Shiloh settlement bloc. One resident of that outpost, having realized their intent, prevented them from passing through his village and expelled them. In response, they punctured the tires of his car and placed him in a jeep.

Yaron Rosental, head of the Gush Etzion Settlements Council, recently raised his voice against the violent rioters in an article published in the "Makor Rishon" newspaper condemning these actions. He says: "There is a loud minority here, whose positions on many issues are contrary to the positions of the overwhelming majority of settlement residents, and in the end, we only hear the voices of this minority. The aim of my writing was to convey the voice of the silent majority. I receive many messages from residents asking: What is this army doing? Or: the army is leftist and serves the Palestinian Authority."

The investigation notes that since the appointment of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the police have made no effort to investigate national crimes, and that extremist settlers have become bolder in acting freely without any deterrent to their actions, and that there are those who will support them within the government and in the right-wing political establishment. These have found encouragement from Defense Minister Katz, who was among the first to prevent the use of administrative detention against those classified by the army and the Shin Bet as potential Jewish terrorists.