Hilltop youths tell IDF they want to serve in combat units

The commander of the Israel Defense Forces Induction Base Col. Gil Ben Shaul met on Wednesday with more than 40 youths associated with the Hilltop Youth movement in Judea and Samaria in a bid to convince them to enlist in the army.

Hilltop Youth activists are often accused of being linked to "price-tag" attacks, a term referring to acts of vandalism, intimidation and violence carried out against Palestinian targets and the IDF by extremist settlers in the West Bank in retaliation for the government’s removal of outposts, roadblocks and other perceived anti-settler actions. Over the years, the Hilltop Youth and the IDF, especially the IDF's Central Command, have clashed with intensifying frequency.

During a meeting in the Judea and Samaria community of Havat Gilad on Wednesday, Shaul met with several teenagers who had experienced army recruitment delays due to their criminal backgrounds, or because the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) had blocked their enlistment.

Some of the youths had been evacuated from Gush Katif in Gaza during the 2005 Israeli disengagement, and nearly all of them informed Shaul that they wished to join combat units in the army, with a preference for elite units within Golani and Egoz.

The rare encounter between Shaul and the youths, who are generally perceived as being hostile to Israeli security forces, was organized by former Chief Military Rabbi Avichai Ronsky, members of the social services division at the Samaria Regional Council and security coordinators of several communities in Judea and Samaria.

Samaria Regional Council head Gershon Mesika said after the meeting that "Samaria's youth, in all its diversity, is filled with motivation to serve the country."

The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said: "The IDF aspires to expand the scope of recruitment while following the rules and upholding enlistment standards."

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