Hilltop Youth Criticism

Yehuda Etzion on the "hilltop youth":-

Two weeks ago Etzion was driving near Migron. Hilltop youth from the outpost, who were angry that buildings had been demolished there, had placed large stones on the road. Etzion hit one and damaged his car. "I believe they did it so that someone would hit the stones and call the army, and then they would throw stones at the soldiers. And in fact, when the army arrived, they started throwing stones," he said.

Etzion has harsh criticism for the hilltop youth. "Even if the government here is foreign, it's our foreign government. Israeli soldiers, who carry out Israeli state policy, must not be harmed, even if I consider it a policy of betrayal.

"During the days of the pre-state underground, it was a mitzvah to kill a British soldier. The comparison hilltop youths make between themselves and the underground is a farce. I myself say that the Israel Defense Forces has donned the suit of the British Mandate and there's a White Paper, but it's impossible to copy the methods of fighting used against the British. Instead of fighting the soldiers, we have to construct an alternative. Throwing stones at an Arab taxi, and certainly at an IDF jeep, is a ridiculous, foolish, worthless and pointless act."

Some of the hilltop youth call the Jewish underground their model. Etzion says he regrets his role in the underground. "It was an immature and childish act. At the time I thought that the actions of a small group could tip the balance. Now I believe there are no shortcuts through violence, because the road is long. There's no choice, we have to strengthen ourselves."

He supports fighting against evacuating outposts. During the evacuation of Amona, in 2006, Etzion was trampled by a mounted policeman and badly hurt. The policeman was brought to trial; Etzion sued the government and received NIS 23,000 in compensation. During the next evacuation he proposes "fighting in every passive way possible."

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