In the West Bank, a group of young women known as the 'Hilltop Girls' has become a focal point in discussions regarding Israeli settlement expansion. These individuals reside in unauthorized outposts, often situated on land that is internationally recognized as occupied territory. Unlike some settler groups associated with direct physical confrontations or violent acts, these women are described as focusing on a different approach to establishing a permanent Israeli presence.

Observers characterize this approach as a 'soft settlement' strategy. Rather than engaging in overt conflict, the strategy involves creating a daily, normalized presence on the land, which proponents of the outposts argue is a reclamation of ancestral territory. Conversely, critics and human rights organizations argue that this method is a calculated tactic to solidify Israeli control over the West Bank, effectively creating facts on the ground that complicate future diplomatic negotiations or the possibility of a two-state solution. The presence of these outposts is illegal under both international law and, in many cases, Israeli domestic law, yet they often receive varying degrees of informal support or lack of enforcement from state authorities. The debate surrounding these outposts highlights the tension between settler ideological goals and the international consensus regarding the status of the West Bank.