Below is the Grok3 AI summary of a 19 minute Youtube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYHKS8Yl3VI

I provided the original link for those that take the spiritual risk of watching Youtube videos. The free Grok3 AI summary doesn’t cover all the points but it is enough for our goals.

Rabbi David Bar-Hayim: Welcome to this discussion. Today, we’re joined by Jonathan Pollard, a man who needs no introduction, to talk about a critical issue facing Israel today: the treatment of the Hilltop Youth. Jonathan, thank you for being here. Let’s start with why you feel so strongly about this issue.
Jonathan Pollard: Thank you, Rabbi. The Hilltop Youth are a group of young, idealistic Jews who are out there on the front lines, securing our land in Judea and Samaria. They’re not violent criminals, as they’re often portrayed. They’re pioneers, driven by a love for the Land of Israel, and they’re being unfairly targeted by the government and media.

Rabbi David Bar-Hayim: Can you explain what you mean by “unfairly targeted”? What’s happening to these young people?
Jonathan Pollard: Absolutely. These kids—many of them teenagers—are being labeled as terrorists for defending their homes and communities. They’re responding to daily terror attacks from Palestinian villages, attacks that often go unreported. When they act to send a message to those villages, it’s called “settler violence,” but this is a deliberate smear campaign by left-wing NGOs and foreign governments pushing a two-state solution. The reality is, they’re protecting Jewish lives in a region where the IDF sometimes can’t or won’t act decisively.

Rabbi David Bar-Hayim: You’re referring to incidents like the one this past Shabbat, where a 14-year-old Jewish boy was shot by IDF fire. Can you comment on that?
Jonathan Pollard: It’s heartbreaking and outrageous. A 14-year-old boy, unarmed, was shot by live IDF fire without warning. Within minutes, the IDF was quick to blame the Hilltop Youth, calling them terrorists, before any investigation was complete. The media ran with it, fueling this narrative of “settler violence.” Meanwhile, the IDF has had to retract statements because they still don’t know exactly what happened. This rush to judgment shows a deeper bias against these kids who are out there risking everything for Israel.

Rabbi David Bar-Hayim: You’ve also been critical of certain political figures. In a recent statement, you called out Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Why?
Jonathan Pollard: Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have disappointed a lot of us. They campaigned as champions of the settlers, promising to protect groups like the Hilltop Youth. But now, they’ve become politicians, playing the game, making compromises, and failing to stand up for these kids when they’re under attack. They’re not showing the leadership we need. They’re unworthy of continued support if they can’t deliver on their promises.
Rabbi David Bar-Hayim: So, what’s the solution? How should Israel handle the Hilltop Youth and the broader issue of settler violence accusations?
Jonathan Pollard: First, stop demonizing these kids. They’re not the problem; they’re part of the solution. They’re securing the land, and as one security coordinator said, the Arabs in places like Al-Mughayyir are more afraid of them than the IDF. That’s effective deterrence. Second, the government needs to investigate incidents like the one this past Shabbat thoroughly and transparently, without jumping to conclusions. And third, we need a leadership that truly supports the settlers, not just in words but in actions. These young people are modern-day Maccabees, and they deserve our respect, not persecution.

Rabbi David Bar-Hayim: You’ve drawn parallels to your own experiences, having been incarcerated for 30 years. How does that inform your perspective?
Jonathan Pollard: I know what it’s like to be targeted, to be vilified for doing what you believe is right for your people. I spent 30 years in prison for helping Israel, and I see these kids facing similar vilification. They’re not perfect—sometimes they push boundaries—but they’re acting out of love for Israel, not hatred. I can relate to being misunderstood and punished for standing up for what’s right.

Rabbi David Bar-Hayim: Some critics, including international bodies like the U.S. and EU, have sanctioned the Hilltop Youth for violence against Palestinians. How do you respond to that?
Jonathan Pollard: Those sanctions are a disgrace. The Hilltop Youth aren’t a formal organization; they’re a loosely knit group of idealistic kids. Calling them a “criminal organization” or “terrorists” is a political move to delegitimize Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria. The U.S. and EU don’t understand the reality on the ground—daily terror attacks, villages harboring terrorists. These kids are responding to that threat. The international community ignores Palestinian violence but jumps to sanction Jewish settlers. It’s hypocritical.

Rabbi David Bar-Hayim: What message would you give to the Hilltop Youth themselves?
Jonathan Pollard: Keep the faith. You’re doing important work, securing our land and our future. Don’t let the media or the government break your spirit. You’re not alone—there are many of us who see you for what you are: heroes, not villains. Stay strong, but also stay smart—don’t give your detractors ammunition.

Rabbi David Bar-Hayim: Jonathan, thank you for your insights and for standing up for these young people. Any final thoughts?
Jonathan Pollard: Just this: Israel needs to decide what kind of nation it wants to be. If we keep turning on our own—especially these brave kids—we’re weakening ourselves. We need to support them, guide them, and recognize their value. The Land of Israel belongs to us, and the Hilltop Youth are out there proving it every day.

Rabbi David Bar-Hayim: Thank you, Jonathan. We’ll continue this conversation another time. For now, let’s keep supporting the truth and the Land of Israel.
Jonathan Pollard: Absolutely, Rabbi. Thank you.

Comment 1 by the Editor:

I agree with Pollard, that the Hilltop youth should be defended. I do not agree with their tactics but at least I understand the political motivations behind the statements of Ben-Gvir and Smotrich.

Comment 2 by the Editor:

The female member of Otzma Yehudit (Ben-Gvir’s party) MK Limor Son Har Melech did defend the Hilltop youth on Israel’s Channel 14 “The Patriots” program.

I felt she was unfairly attacked and harassed by Yinon Magal (a pro-Netanyahu/Likud) chief moderator/interviewer on that program and I believe the public should rebuke Magal for his attack. To convince the hard-left in Israel to support the Hilltop youth is not the best strategy given limited resources. It is the soft-right like Magal that need to be pressured into behaving properly to start resisting left-wing smear campaigns.

Comment 3 by the Editor:

Both Jonathan Pollard and Avi Abelow in his article on this issue entitled “The manipulated campaign against the ‘Hilltop Youth‘ ” point out that Israel’s “Deep State” sends out agents to commit crimes that are then used to smear the Hilltop youth for political gain.

Here’s a quote from Abelow’s article:

I’ve been exposing the manipulative tactics of the Shabak’s Jewish Division since the 1990s. This isn’t a conspiracy theory, it’s a documented pattern. For decades, they have manufactured provocations and events to demonize the right-wing, religious, settler community. They’ve embedded undercover agents, some of whom went so far as to marry women and raise families in Judea and Samaria, all to infiltrate and undermine Jewish communities from within, as if we were an enemy population.

The most infamous example? Avishai Raviv, code name “Champagne.” A Shabak agent who orchestrated violent scenes with Jewish “settler” youth, only to film them and spread them through national news outlets, painting settler youth as extremists intent on killing former Prime Minister Rabin. At a right-wing protest, he personally held up Nazi-themed posters of Rabin in a SS uniform. To this day the mainstream media blames Netanyahu for that and the media claimed this proved settlers were inciting murder.

Raviv was the handler of Yigal Amir. And despite his central role in so many events surrounding the incitement and eventual assassination of former Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin, the Justice system made sure that he walked away untouched. No accountability. No punishment.

This is all public record.

Then there’s the infamous case of the Jewish teenager imprisoned for allegedly murdering an Arab Muslim baby by setting fire to a home in the Arab village of Duma. From the beginning, there was no concrete evidence proving that this young Jewish boy infiltrated the heart of an Arab village in the dead of night to commit arson. What is well-documented, however, is a long history of internal Arab clan violence within Duma, violent feuds that included torching each other’s property.

Yet despite the lack of proof against the Jewish youth, and despite the broader context being completely ignored, that Jewish teen was convicted and remains in prison to this day, broken, physically and emotionally. A scapegoat for a deep state within our security and legal establishment, determined to delegitimize the right-wing, religious, settler population as “violent”, yet not to seek truth.

Comment 4 by the Editor:

If you search vilnagaon.org you will find important background information about the points raised in Avi Abelow’s article.

Comment 5 by the Editor:

“The Patriots” program was mentioned in a previous comment. It has come to my attention that unacceptable advertisements are sometimes displayed for this site.

Comment 6 by the Editor:

A quote from https://honenu.org/idf-opened-fire-at-jewish-youths-during-outpost-destruction/

IDF opened fire at Jewish youths during outpost destruction