Ex-Israeli Security Chiefs Condemn Settler Violence in NYT Report
A New York Times report highlights escalating violence by extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank, featuring sharp criticism from former senior Israeli security officials. The article opens with retired Major General Eyal Ben-Reuven, who previously commanded forces in the West Bank, describing settler violence as one of Israel's most severe threats, even more concerning than Iran, Gaza, or Lebanon. Ben-Reuven has joined tours of former Israeli officers visiting Palestinian villages, witnessing firsthand the destruction of a school and hearing accounts of attacks, livestock theft, and land seizures from Palestinian farmers and shepherds.
Further sharp condemnations come from other former high-ranking officers. Retired Brigadier General Ephraim Sneh calls the settler attacks "ethnic cleansing, in simple terms." Retired Brigadier General Assaf Agmon, formerly of the Air Force, compares the situation to the experiences of Israelis' ancestors during the Holocaust, not in scale but in the perceived attempt to erase Palestinian presence from the West Bank. Agmon states, "When a society behaves like this, its fate is to perish."
The New York Times notes that this criticism is no longer confined to left-wing groups, but includes a growing number of influential Israelis, many from the military and intelligence communities, who warn that the lack of enforcement and settler violence threaten Israel's democratic character. The report references a June letter signed by over 200 prominent Israelis, including former prime ministers, generals, and heads of Mossad and Shin Bet, urging the government to halt attacks on Palestinians. The signatories used terms like "Jewish terrorism" and "ethnic cleansing," alleging a deliberate government policy that involves the security establishment in enabling these actions, citing public funding for illegal outposts.
The article emphasizes the unprecedented nature of these accusations coming from individuals who once led Israel's security apparatus. While acknowledging their past involvement in operations that resulted in Palestinian deaths, these former officials distinguish those actions, conducted under command and legal oversight for Israel's security, from the current indiscriminate violence aimed at displacing Palestinians. Former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon is also quoted comparing the ideology of some extremist settlers to Nazi Germany, stating, "Jewish supremacy? 80 years after the Holocaust, 'Mein Kampf' in reverse. We are the master race."
The report details tours organized by retired Major General Yaakov (Mendi) Or, who has brought over 250 former senior officers, intelligence personnel, jurists, and diplomats to witness the situation in the West Bank. During these tours, participants have seen new fences erected by settlers, visited illegal outposts, and met with Palestinians like farmer Bashar Eid, who described losing his land and living in fear of settlers. Former Ambassador Raphael Schutz expressed shame, noting his mother fled Nazi Germany and would be appalled by such Jewish behavior. The article also recounts the forced displacement of Palestinian families from the Hamamat al-Maliha community in the Jordan Valley due to settler raids, followed by the destruction of their local school by settlers who then celebrated Passover among the ruins.
UN data cited in the report indicates that since October 7, settlers have carried out thousands of attacks in the West Bank, injuring thousands of Palestinians and displacing over 3,200 from their homes this year, a rate double that of last year. The report also notes that over 1,100 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 7, mostly by Israeli forces, a figure comparable to the total killed between 2005 and 2022. The article concludes by noting that Prime Minister Netanyahu has previously dismissed settler violence as the acts of a "handful of youths," though he recently issued a statement calling such criminal acts "enormous damage" to law-abiding settlers and Israel's global standing. The IDF reiterated its mission to protect all residents and stated that any soldier participating in or condoning settler attacks acts against orders.
