It was my first visit to Amona, although not my first one to a West Bank outpost. They all look pretty much the same. The road to these officially unsanctioned outposts usually goes through a large settlement. Therefore, in local speak, the outposts are simply “add-ons” to the “main settlement.” Every large settlement has an unauthorized add-on. The settlement of Itamar, for example, has Har Gideon and Givat Arnon. Elon Moreh has Havat Skali. Yitzhar has Mitzpe Yitzhar and Givat Tkuma. The list goes on and on. All in all, there are some 120 unsanctioned settlements to which successive Israeli governments have turned a blind eye or given an approving wink and nod. All this holds true for Amona.

The road to the outpost that has stirred up a major political and diplomatic storm goes through the older and larger settlement of Ofra. A small, handwritten sign points toward an adjacent hill. After leaving the settlement, one drives along a narrow road only recently paved or upgraded. The road is strewn with dozens of tires dispersed by young, radical, right-wing Israelis known as “hilltop youth,” ready to be ignited if the government tries to carry out a forced eviction of the outpost.

For now, a deal has been struck for the 40 families at the outpost to leave in return for significant financial compensation and a promise that a replacement settlement will be built for them elsewhere. Most of the hilltop youth are going home, but a few dozen remain seated on knapsacks and rolled up sleeping bags next to the Ofra bus station, promising to return at short notice if the threat of “destruction,” as they call the court-ordered outpost evacuation, is renewed.

Eli, a resident of the settlement of Kdumim who asked that his full name not be used, told Al-Monitor that the night before, on Dec. 19, all the “volunteers” held a farewell party to celebrate their success, which is how they described the compromise with the government. “There was dancing throughout the night till daybreak,” he said. “It warms the heart and soul to see everyone, the best and brightest, mobilizing with such love for a sacred cause, for the people of Israel.”