Former security chiefs warn Netanyahu over ‘Jewish terrorism’ in the West Bank

Benjamin Netanyahu has been warned that “Jewish terrorism” is raging in the West Bank with the backing of the state, and it now threatens Israel’s very future.

In a formal letter to the Prime Minister,  which was made public on Thursday, 22 of Israel’s most senior former security chiefs wrote:”A Black Flag Unfurls over the [Israeli] Blue-and-White”

Multiple former heads of the Mossad, Shin Bet and Israeli Defence Forces added:” “The Jewish terrorism raging in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank], with the tolerance — or worse, the backing — of government authorities, constitute not only a profound moral failure, but a grave strategic threat to Israel’s security, especially in a time of war.”

“These acts of terrorism undermine the national effort in multiple ways,” they continued.

“They endanger IDF soldiers and operational effectiveness during a multi-front war; They compel the diversion of critical forces from active fronts in Gaza and Lebanon to internal policing; They inflame Palestinian terror and advance Iranian strategic interests; They erode the moral foundations and values of Israeli society; and they intensify international hostility and weaken Israel’s legitimacy.”

The letter is signed by some of the most prominent figures in Israel’s security establishment. Among the signatories are former IDF chiefs of staff Ehud Barak — who also served as Prime Minister,  alongside former Mossad directors Tamir Pardo, Efraim Halevy and Danny Yatom.

The letter calls for the “unequivocal enforcement of the law”, noting that “terrorism must be confronted as terrorism, without regard to identity, nationality, or ideology.”

It also demands that “the independence and integrity of Israel’s security and legal institutions must be fully restored.”

The warning comes as the Israeli government has simultaneously moved to dramatically expand the settler presence across the West Bank.

In a cabinet meeting on April 1, the government quietly approved 34 new settlements, many of them outposts in remote areas of the territory.

The decision was kept under wraps during the war reportedly at the request of the United States, and was only cleared for publication by Israel’s military censor this week.

During the cabinet discussion, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir personally intervened to demand the inclusion of the wildcat outpost of Yishuv Hadaat — where his own chief of staff lives — after it was initially left off the list due to legal hurdles.

The settlement was ultimately added after Defence Minister Israel Katz backed Ben Gvir’s position.

The cabinet’s decision to legalise the outposts — which also includes the construction of electricity and water infrastructure — was made in a security cabinet meeting on March 25, and comes amid a surge in settler violence.

According to the Israeli human rights NGO Yesh Din, there were 305 incidents of settler violence between February 28 and March 29 alone, an average of more than ten incidents a day.

The IDF chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, warned government ministers during the same meeting that the military is under severe strain due to manpower shortages and expanded operational demands, including those stemming from settlement expansion.

The settlement expansion plan is part of a broader push by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defence Minister Katz to reshape the reality on the ground in the West Bank.

According to Israeli advocacy organisation Peace Now, a record 86 new outposts were established in 2025 alone.

The number of settlements and outposts in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem has risen by nearly 50 percent since 2022 — from 141 to 210.

In October 2025, the Knesset then gave preliminary approval — by a margin of 25-24 — to a formal bill to impose Israeli sovereignty over the territory, the first of four votes needed to pass it into law.

The bill was condemned by US Vice President JD Vance as a “very stupid political stunt” and described by Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “counterproductive” to Trump’s Gaza peace plan.

Violence in the West Bank has reached unprecedented levels since October 7, 2023.

The UN recorded roughly 1,800 incidents of settler violence between October 7, 2023, and December 16, 2024, averaging roughly four incidents per day.

Over 1,000 Palestinians, including at least 233 children, have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers over the period.