By Rohan Gunaratna
The State of Israel should firmly address the surge in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. There is growing international and domestic pressure on Israeli authorities to address the senseless violence perpetrated by Jewish terrorists and extremists.
One must never forget that Yigal Amir, who shot Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on November 4, 1995, was a Jewish terrorist. He is from an offshoot of the right-wing extremist Kach party called “Eyal”. Like most Muslims, most Jews oppose extremism and terrorism.
Today, over 1,000 Diaspora Jewish leaders, including prominent philanthropists and rabbis, signed a letter calling on Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pressure the government to end the “abomination of Jewish-extremist terror” and the “era of impunity for its perpetrators”.
Commanders for Israel’s Security, a group of 550 retired senior Israeli security officials, sent a letter to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief urging action against what they term a “strategic danger” posed by Jewish terrorism.
Violence has increased in the West Bank following a war with Iran, with reports of “hilltop youth” (radical settlers) committing acts described as a “fight for control of the territory” and aiming to uproot Palestinians, often with the support of some government members.
While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested military action against extremists, critics, including opposition leader Yair Lapid, argue that far-right cabinet members, such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, have not intervened to stop the violence.
Observers report that 90% of settler violence cases in the West Bank are closed without indictments, and some security forces have been accused of joining in or allowing the assaults rather than arresting the culprits.
Below is a reproduction of the letter to the IDF by former retired, senior Israeli security officials:
A Black Flag Unfurls over the Blue-and-White: A Call to Heed the Conscience and Guard the Nation
By Former Heads of Israel’s Defense Establishment
We, former heads of Israel’s defense, intelligence, and law enforcement systems—Chiefs of Staff of the IDF, Commissioners of Police, and Directors of the Shin Bet and Mossad— appeal urgently to:
- The Prime Minister and members of the government responsible for national policy;
- The Chief of Staff, entrusted with command of the armed forces and the protection of all populations
- under their authority;
- The Director of the Shin Bet, responsible for combating terrorism in all its forms;
- The Police Commissioner, charged with upholding law and order;
Out of a deep sense of responsibility for the future of the State of Israel, we are warning that:
The Jewish terrorism raging in Judea and Samaria, 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 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.
- They intensify international hostility and weaken Israel’s legitimacy.
A black flag now flies over government policy—signaling the erosion of state authority and the subordination of national security to political considerations.
This abhorrent reality demands immediate action:
- Unequivocal Enforcement of the Law — Terrorism must be confronted as terrorism, without regard to identity, nationality, or ideology.
- Depoliticization of Law Enforcement — The independence and integrity of Israel’s security and legal institutions must be fully restored.
- Restoration of Preventive Tools — Including the responsible use of administrative detention approved by a Judge`s order where necessary to prevent imminent violence.
A small but dangerous extremist fringe, emboldened by irresponsible political backing and enabled by the silence of the national leadership, must not be allowed to endanger Israel’s security or erode the foundations of the Zionist project.
We call upon Israel’s leaders — and its citizens — to act now, before the black flag irrevocably stains the blue-and-white, our proud national colors.
Retired Directors of the Shin Bet: Adm. Ami Ayalon; Nadav Argaman; Carmi Gillon; Yoram Cohen.
Retired Police Commissioners: Shlomo Aharonishki; Roni Alsheikh; Yochanan Danino; Assaf Hefetz; Dudi Cohen; Rafi Peled; Moshe Karadi. Yaakov Shabtai
Retired Heads of Military Intelligence: Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin, Maj.-Gen. Amos Malka, Maj.-Gen. Aharon Zeevi-Farkash, Maj.-Gen. Uri Sagie.
Retired Directors of the Mossad: Efraim Halevy, Maj.-Gen. Danny Yatom, Tamir Pardo.
Retired IDF Chiefs of Staff: Lt.-Gen. Ehud Barak, Lt.-Gen. Dany Halutz, Lt.-Gen. Moshe (Bogie) Ya’alon.
The calls demand a shift in policy to treat these acts as crimes and terrorism to prevent further destabilisation and damage Israel’s standing and image.
Rohan Gunaratna is editor of the “Handbook of Terrorism in the Middle East”. At the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, he teaches intelligence and national security, and, homeland security, counter terrorism and intelligence. He trains military forces, law enforcement authorities and national security agencies.