Hilltop Youth
Encyclopedia
Hilltop Youth is the term commonly used for several nationalist youth groups in Israel
. The groups are influenced by religious Zionist ideals. Their spiritual leader is Avri Ran
, though he does not see himself as such and the group's philosophy is a mix of contempt for the Israeli government and a desire for a restored Jewish monarchy. They were also strongly influenced by the late Netanel Ozeri, who was killed by Hamas
gunmen on Hilltop 26
near Hebron
.
The groups are not centrally organized, but they regularly receive assistance such as legal fees from the mainstream settler organizations. Their main activity is erecting illegal outposts outside existing settlements, often engaging in organic farming and shunning Palestinian labor in favor of 'Avoda Ivrit' - Hebrew labor
.
Many of the hilltop youth feel that the mainstream settler movement has lost its way, opting for cheap housing close to major cities, built by local Arab labor, with tall fences and no space between their homes. Much of Israel's organic produce is cultivated by the hilltop youth.
A handful of the new hilltops, such as Sde Boaz
, Ma'ale Rehav'am
and Esh Kodesh
are populated by both religious and non-religious Jews and there is a sense that they wish to serve as an example of religious tolerance in a society where the two groups often live apart from one another.
The mainstream Israeli settlement
movement and other nationalist parties insist that the Hilltop Youth are not part of their movement.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The groups are influenced by religious Zionist ideals. Their spiritual leader is Avri Ran
Avri Ran
Avraham "Avri" Ran, dubbed the father of the “Hilltop Movement”, was born in 1946 in Nir Hen in British Mandate of Palestine. He and his wife Sharona, who had immigrated to Israel from the United States when she was four years old, both grew up in secular Jewish homes. They later became strictly...
, though he does not see himself as such and the group's philosophy is a mix of contempt for the Israeli government and a desire for a restored Jewish monarchy. They were also strongly influenced by the late Netanel Ozeri, who was killed by Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
gunmen on Hilltop 26
Hilltop 26
Hilltop, outpost or lot 26 was an Israeli outpost founded by Netanel Ozeri. It was founded near the city of Hebron in the Judean Hills of the West Bank. It lay approximately 100 metres from the Kiryat Arba settlement. At the time of its destruction, it had a population of around ten.The settlement...
near Hebron
Hebron
Hebron , is located in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judean Mountains, it lies 930 meters above sea level. It is the largest city in the West Bank and home to around 165,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Jewish settlers concentrated in and around the old quarter...
.
The groups are not centrally organized, but they regularly receive assistance such as legal fees from the mainstream settler organizations. Their main activity is erecting illegal outposts outside existing settlements, often engaging in organic farming and shunning Palestinian labor in favor of 'Avoda Ivrit' - Hebrew labor
Hebrew labor
Hebrew labor refers to the concept of hiring Jewish workers in Ottoman and Mandate Palestine.-Ottoman era:During the Second Aliyah period many Jewish immigrants to Palestine sought year round jobs on the agricultural tracts and plantations of their co-religionists who had arrived during the First...
.
Many of the hilltop youth feel that the mainstream settler movement has lost its way, opting for cheap housing close to major cities, built by local Arab labor, with tall fences and no space between their homes. Much of Israel's organic produce is cultivated by the hilltop youth.
A handful of the new hilltops, such as Sde Boaz
Sde Boaz
Sde Boaz is an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located on a hill above Neve Daniel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gush Etzion Regional Council....
, Ma'ale Rehav'am
Ma'ale Rehav'am
Ma'ale Rehav'am , is an Israeli settlement south of Bethlehem and northeast of Hebron in the West Bank, located in the northeastern Judean Mountains on Road 3698...
and Esh Kodesh
Esh Kodesh
Esh Kodesh is an Israeli settlement outpost in the West Bank. Located near Shvut Rachel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council...
are populated by both religious and non-religious Jews and there is a sense that they wish to serve as an example of religious tolerance in a society where the two groups often live apart from one another.
The mainstream Israeli settlement
Israeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
movement and other nationalist parties insist that the Hilltop Youth are not part of their movement.