BBC airs exposé on Hilltop Youth

Panorama magazine airs special report on settler group believed to be responsible for 'price tag' acts; says Israel helpless against 'enemy within'

Itamar Fleishman|Published: 09.23.12 , 22:32

The BBC airs a special report on the Hilltop Youth settler movement on Saturday showcasing a rare documentation of its members – who are believed to be responsible for the majority of "price tag" acts – in action.

The report cites both their controversial actions, as well as what it defined as Israel's failure to effectively deal with "the enemy within."

Related stories:

Hilltop Youth members refrain from dealing with the Israeli media, but the report, aired as part of BBC One's Panorama magazine, showed many of them with their face clearly showing, as they erect illegal outposts and praise "price tag" acts.

The report said that the settler youths "carry out these crimes as an act of revenge" and further labeled them as "Jewish terrorists" that endanger the region's stability.

One of the teens interviewed in the report said the Israeli public's opinion of her actions is meaningless: "Faithless Jews who don't fear God can call me a terrorist if they want. I don't care what they say about me. I only care what God thinks. I act for him and him alone."

Prime Minister's Office spokesman Mark Regev stressed to the BBC that price-taggers would be stopped: "If these extremists succeed – if you have, heaven forbid, a mosque or something goes up in smoke, this could promote extremism on their side and you could have a terrible impact. We've got to stamp these phenomena out."

The report notes that "For its part, Israel has formed a new taskforce to combat Jewish acts of extremism and says negotiating the future of the settlements will have to be part of the peace talks which they are ready to begin, without preconditions."

Peace Now commented on the broadcast saying that "Those who carry out 'price tag' acts don’t only harm Israel from within – they also damage its international image.

"This report proves that if the authorities set their minds to it they could locate and punish the perpetrators. The responsibility is Bibi's – not the BBC's."