Hilltop Youth: A group intent on taking over the West Bank by violence

What Happened

The Hilltop Youth, a radical religious Zionist settler group dedicated to seizing Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, has intensified its violent activities and gained unprecedented government backing. Originating from a 1998 call by then-foreign minister Ariel Sharon to occupy hilltops, the group has expanded its network of illegal outposts—200 built in the past three years—and committed over 1,330 attacks in the first half of 2026, according to UN figures, which Palestinian rights groups consider conservative. Their actions include vandalism, arson, and physical and sexual assaults. Under the current Israeli government, which took office in December 2022, the group has enjoyed a 'golden era': Defense Minister Israel Katz cancelled all administrative orders against settlers, and the state has provided nearly $40 million in food and clothing subsidies, military protection, and all-terrain vehicles used in raids. Ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir (formerly convicted for supporting a terrorist organization and inciting racism) and Bezalel Smotrich (who controls finance and settlement affairs) have directly enabled these groups. Hilltop Youth leaders, like Elisha Yered, openly boast about instigating violence to capture more land, and the movement now finds mainstream acceptance in Israeli media and politics, with former members serving in the Knesset.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The Hilltop Youth's transition from a fringe extremist group to a mainstream force in Israeli politics, with direct representation in the Knesset and cabinet, signals a structural entrenchment of settlement expansion and state-backed violence that undermines the viability of a two-state solution. The group's impunity and state sponsorship fuel daily terror against Palestinians and destabilise the region, while international sanctions have so far failed to curb its growth.

Watch For

Upcoming Israeli elections will test the electoral weight of the settler right. Further government decisions on outpost legalisation, budget allocations for settlement infrastructure, and any escalation in settler attacks ahead of potential final-status negotiations. Also, monitor whether Western governments intensify sanctions on individuals or groups, or if the ICC/ICJ proceedings address the state's role in settler violence.