I completed this senior thesis in partial requirement for the fulfillment of my Political Science major at Boston College. I worked under the supervision of Islamic Civilizations and Societies professor, Ali Banuazizi, from the inception of the idea in June/July 2019 to its completion in May 2020.

Over the course of this project, I examined the growth of what Israelis refer to as "hilltop youth" settlement outposts in the West Bank, populated by violent extremists and opposed by international and Israeli law. I used data both from Israeli government agencies and international NGOs such as Peace Now to draw a clear picture of the trend: these settlements are growing, they continue to exist with the help of the Israeli government's complicity, and they represent an increasingly prominent strand of right-wing nationalism in Israeli society that ultimately presents an obstacle to peace.