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Nearly 600 former senior Israeli military, intelligence, diplomatic and security officials urged U.S. President Donald Trump to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank during their meeting in Washington on Tuesday, Yedioth Ahronot reported.
The officials warned that the violence could undermine Israel’s security, destabilize the Middle East, damage U.S. interests and obstruct diplomatic initiatives pursued by Trump.
In a letter sent to the White House on Sunday, the signatories called for urgent intervention against what they described as “acts of terrorism by Jewish settlers” and warned that the consequences could become “even more catastrophic than the Hamas atrocities of October 7 and their multifront aftermath.”
“Terror is terror is terror,” the letter said.
“No one but you, Mr. President, can prevent this disaster,” members of Commanders for Israel’s Security wrote. “We sincerely hope that you will use your upcoming meeting with our prime minister to deliver a firm and unequivocal message on this matter.”
The former officials said continued settler violence, combined with Israeli government policies intended to “strangle the Palestinian Authority economically and otherwise,” would weaken Israeli security and destabilize the wider region.
They warned that the situation could eliminate the possibility of advancing Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, damage his effort to expand the Abraham Accords and prompt countries that have already joined the agreements to reconsider their relations with Israel.
“This course threatens to destroy Israel’s security, damage American interests and shatter regional stability,” they wrote.
The letter was sent to the White House and senior figures close to Trump, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Among the signatories were former Mossad director Danny Yatom, former Shin Bet director Ami Ayalon and Commanders for Israel’s Security Chairman Matan Vilnai, a retired major general who previously served as deputy chief of staff of the Israeli military and home front defense minister.
The former officials directly accused members of Netanyahu’s government of contributing to the violence.
“It is no secret that certain members of our current government are orchestrating much of this chaos,” the letter said.
They said government figures were protecting supporters described in the letter as “armed and driven by messianic impulses,” effectively preventing meaningful law enforcement against them.
The earlier appeal also accused far-right ministers, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, of protecting settlers and blocking significant sanctions against them.
According to the signatories, the situation has placed the current leaders of Israel’s security establishment in an almost impossible position between following their professional judgment and enforcing the law or obeying the political leadership’s directives.
“While our security agencies excel at confronting Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations in the West Bank, they are severely constrained when it comes to Jewish terrorists,” the letter said.
Commanders for Israel’s Security describes itself as Israel’s largest organization of retired generals and colonels, along with former senior officials from Mossad, Shin Bet, the police, the National Security Council and the diplomatic service.
The organization has nearly 600 members and supports security separation from the Palestinians and progress toward a two-state solution within a regional framework.
The signatories urged Trump not to treat their warning as a theoretical scenario.
“The trend is clear and the evidence is visible,” they wrote. “We must not be caught unprepared again.”
The appeal comes amid a sharp increase in demolitions, sieges, attacks, arson targeting Palestinian homes and property, and illegal settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.
Netanyahu previously instructed authorities to accelerate the recognition of illegal Jewish settlements built on Palestinian land and the establishment of new settlements.
Netanyahu is expected to leave for Washington on Monday and meet Trump on Tuesday.
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