Former Israeli Generals Criticise Settler Violence Against Palestinians In West Bank

A group of former Israeli generals and senior security officials has publicly criticised settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, with some describing the attacks as "Jewish terrorism" and "ethnic cleansing". The former officials have argued that the violence is taking place with insufficient action by Israeli authorities, according to a report by The New York Times. Their criticism has added to an increasingly public debate inside Israel over the treatment of Palestinian civilians in the occupied territory.

Maj. Gen. Eyal Ben-Reuven, a former Israeli army commander, said his assessment of the threats facing Israel changed after visiting Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During a recent visit, he said he saw the remains of a Palestinian school that had been looted by settlers. He also met Palestinian farmers and shepherds who described being beaten and threatened. Ben-Reuven said he now regarded settler violence as a more serious concern than threats from Iran, Gaza or Lebanon.

More than 200 prominent Israelis signed a letter in June urging the government to stop attacks on Palestinian civilians. The signatories included two former prime ministers, more than 30 retired Army and Air Force generals, former heads of Israel's foreign and domestic intelligence agencies, lawyers, diplomats, rabbis and a Nobel laureate. The group also called for greater transparency over public funds used for infrastructure and other support linked to settlements.

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The former officials have alleged that Israeli security forces have sometimes been involved in attacks or failed to prevent them. The Israeli military has rejected claims that it supports violent settlers, maintaining that soldiers are ordered to protect all residents. It said any soldier who participates in settler attacks or fails to intervene is acting against military orders. Some retired officials who are now criticising the violence previously participated in military operations against Palestinians but argue that those actions were conducted under formal orders and within established legal structures.

Former Ministry of Justice official Gal Levertov also criticised the current situation in the West Bank, distinguishing it from military operations carried out under official orders. He argued that actions by settlers against Palestinians could not be defended in the same way. The criticism reflects a growing divide among some former Israeli security and government officials over whether current measures are sufficient to prevent violence against Palestinian civilians.

The issue comes amid continuing displacement and casualties in the West Bank following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel and the ensuing regional conflict. According to the figures cited in the report, more than 3,200 Palestinians were displaced by settler attacks in 2026 alone, while the number of Palestinians injured in such incidents has increased substantially compared with previous years. The United Nations has reported that more than 1,100 Palestinians, including combatants, have been killed in the West Bank since October 2023, with most deaths attributed to Israeli forces.

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