Key facts
- Dozens of Israeli security, political, and cultural elites have threatened legal action against their government.
- The signatories allege government support for "Jewish terrorism" and an "ideology of ethnic cleansing" in the occupied West Bank.
- The letter details numerous attacks against Palestinians, citing "almost complete impunity" for perpetrators.
- They demand immediate action to "eradicate Jewish terrorism" and threaten to petition Israel's high court if the government fails to act.
- Signatories include former prime ministers, heads of security services, judges, a Nobel laureate, and a novelist.
Dozens of prominent Israelis, including former prime ministers, security chiefs, judges, and cultural figures, have issued a stark warning to their government, threatening legal action over alleged support for "Jewish terrorism" and an "ideology of ethnic cleansing" in the occupied West Bank. The signatories detailed a campaign of extreme violence against Palestinians, including murder, sexual assault, and arson, which they claim is carried out with "almost complete impunity."
The leaked letter, sent to top government and security officials, asserts that this violence breaks Israeli and international law, endangers Israel's security, isolates the country globally, and fuels antisemitism. It accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right coalition partners of enabling these attacks to further an agenda of ethnic cleansing and annexation.
The signatories, who include former heads of the Mossad, Shin Bet, and the military, as well as a Nobel laureate and a renowned novelist, stated that recent condemnations by political and military leaders are not credible without action. They drew parallels between the current violence and historic pogroms against Jewish communities in Europe.
The letter further alleged complicity by the Israeli military, citing both a failure to intervene and instances of active participation in violence by soldiers and settlement security squads. It noted that since 2020, at least 1,100 Palestinian civilians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli soldiers and settlers, with no charges filed.
If the government does not take immediate measures to condemn and stop the violence, the signatories plan to petition Israel's high court to compel action. The letter was seen by The Guardian and has not been made public.