A group of former high-ranking Israeli military and security officials has publicly denounced the rise of violence carried out by illegal settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The criticism, which included descriptions of these actions as "ethnic cleansing," comes as these former leaders toured affected Palestinian communities to observe the impact of settler aggression, including systematic land seizures and attacks on farmers and shepherds.
Retired Brigadier General Ephraim Sneh, who formerly served as Israel's health minister, stated plainly: "This is ethnic cleansing, to put it simply." Major General Eyal Ben-Reuven, a former commander in the Israeli army, added that the behavior of these settlers constitutes a danger exceeding that of regional military fronts, remarking, "This, what the settlers are doing here, is the real threat to Israel."
The situation in the Jordan Valley has become particularly dire, where night-time raids and incursions have compelled entire Bedouin encampments, such as Hamamat al-Maleh, to vacate their homes. These developments were underscored in a letter signed this past June by over 200 prominent Israelis, including two former prime ministers, more than 30 retired generals, and former intelligence chiefs. The signatories called for an immediate end to what they described as "Jewish terrorism" and "ethnic cleansing."
The letter accused the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of pursuing a deliberate policy in which the security establishment—including the police, the military, and the Shin Bet—is knowingly complicit. The critics pointed to state funding for illegal outposts and noted instances where soldiers participated in or stood by during assaults. Former army chief of staff and defense minister Moshe Ya'alon characterized the ideology driving these outposts as "'Mein Kampf' in reverse," while retired Air Force General Asaf Agmon warned that a society behaving in this manner is "doomed."
According to United Nations figures, illegal Israeli settlers have launched thousands of attacks in the occupied West Bank since October 2023. Data indicates that over 3,200 Palestinians have been displaced by these attacks in 2026 alone, marking a doubling of the rate compared to the previous year. Furthermore, the frequency of Palestinian injuries has risen sharply, increasing from one every three days in 2020 to more than three per day this year.
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