Dozens of Israeli former prime ministers, security chiefs, and cultural figures have threatened legal action against their government over what they describe as support for Jewish terrorism and an ideology of ethnic cleansing in the occupied West Bank, according to a leaked letter seen by the Guardian.
Signatories from the elite
The letter, sent to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the defence and national security ministries, the military, police, and intelligence services, was signed by two former prime ministers—Ehud Olmert and Ehud Barak—former heads of all Israeli security services, former judges, a Nobel laureate, and the novelist David Grossman. It demands immediate action to eradicate Jewish terrorism, cataloguing years of attacks including murder, sexual assault, theft, arson, and desecration of the dead, carried out with almost complete impunity.
The signatories warn that the campaign of extreme violence against Palestinians violates Israeli and international law, endangers Israel's security, isolates the country internationally, and fuels antisemitism worldwide. If the government does not condemn and stop the violence, they will petition Israel's high court to compel action.
Accusations of government complicity
The letter accuses Netanyahu and his far-right coalition partners of enabling attacks on Palestinians to further an extremist agenda of ethnic cleansing and annexation. It states: 'This is not solely a military and police failure, but the implementation of an overt policy by the Israeli government and its prime minister in general, and by the relevant ministers in particular. They order the military, the police, and Shin Bet to enable the terrorism of Jewish criminals, because this horrendous phenomenon serves well the current government’s ideology of carrying out ethnic cleansing in the territories of Judea and Samaria to facilitate their future annexation.'
The letter also draws parallels with historical attacks on Jewish communities in Europe, stating: 'The crimes of Jewish terrorism in the territories are reminiscent of similar crimes and pogroms committed against our people by other nations in eastern Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries.'
IDF complicity and impunity
The letter asserts that the Israel Defense Forces are complicit through a failure to intervene and active participation in violence. Attackers include members of regional defence units, men in part-uniform, and civilians carrying weapons from the military or national security ministry. 'The IDF has clear policy of ignoring the crimes of Jewish terrorism, and in many incidents soldiers from the regional defense units and settlement security squads are themselves involved in the crimes of Jewish terrorism,' the letter says.
Since 2020, UN data shows that Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed at least 1,100 Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, at least a quarter of whom were children. No one has been charged over any of these deaths. The signatories warn that this jeopardises Israeli security by risking Palestinian revenge attacks or an uprising.
Demands and legal threat
The letter, drafted by lawyer Shmuel Berkowitz, brings together a broader group than previous statements, linking violence to soldiers as well as settlers and threatening legal action for the first time. It directly addresses General Avi Bluth, the commanding officer in the occupied West Bank, asking: 'How come you have not been successful in eradicating Jewish terror, given that the identity of their leaders and their places of residence are well known to you, and they are estimated to number a few hundred?'
The letter criticizes Netanyahu's claim that settler violence is the work of a few dozen teenagers, calling it 'no basis in reality.' It also questions far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Defence Minister Israel Katz, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, Shin Bet head David Zini, and Police Commissioner Daniel Levy. The prime minister's office, defence and national security ministries, police, and military did not respond to requests for comment.
