Hilltop 26

Hilltop, outpost or lot 26, was an illegal outpost, consisting of a mobile home, founded by Netanel Ozeri outside Hebron in the West Bank. It lay approximately 100 metres (330 ft) from the Kiryat Arba settlement, in the Beqa'a valley. At the time of its destruction. Despite court orders, he kept expanding his outpost, refused to bullet-proof the caravan, fence the area he claimed in, or accept protection from the IDF.

The settlement was dismantled on the night of 24 March 2003 by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) due to a court order that established that the land belonged to Palestinian families who lived in the area. Ozeri's wife, Livnat, daughter of the Jewish terrorist leader Shaul Nir, stated on the occasion:"I will overcome my personal pain. But what is so painful is the Hillul Hashem [desecration of the name of God] that was committed here. Seeing that the Arab houses are still standing, while Jews destroyed houses of Jews - this is an indescribable pain." The settlement was the first to be destroyed during Ariel Sharon's second term of office.

Netanel Ozeri

The illegal outpost made headlines following the death of Netanel Ozeri on 17 January 2003. Ozeri, who had been dining with his wife, 5-year-old daughter, and two friends, was killed in the evening by a 15-year-old Palestinian boy who was accompanied by another 16-year-old boy who kept look-out. One of the gunmen was subsequently killed by other Israelis present, while the second gunman was tracked and killed later by the IDF. Ozeri belonged to the banned extremist Jewish religious and nationalist Kach movement.