Nearly 600 former senior Israeli security officials, including ex-directors of Mossad, Shin Bet, and the military, have appealed directly to Donald Trump to intervene against what they described as acts of terrorism by Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
In a letter sent to the White House ahead of Trump’s meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, the group warned that settler violence could produce consequences even more catastrophic than the Hamas atrocities of October 7 and their multifront aftermath.
The letter, organized by the group Commanders for Israel’s Security, calls on Trump to deliver a firm and unequivocal message to the Israeli prime minister. The signatories include former Mossad director Danny Yatom, former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon, and retired Major General Matan Vilnai, a former deputy IDF chief of staff.
They asserted that terror is terror and that only Trump could prevent what they called a disaster.
The appeal is extraordinary in both its scale and its directness. Nearly 600 former top brass from the IDF, Mossad, Shin Bet, the police, and the diplomatic service are effectively telling an American president that their own prime minister’s government is enabling a security crisis.
The former officials accused members of Netanyahu’s coalition of contributing to the violence. They said Israeli security forces, which excel at confronting Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations, are severely constrained when it comes to Jewish terrorists.
The letter warns that unchecked settler violence could destroy Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, damage his ambition to expand the Abraham Accords, and prompt countries that already normalized relations with Israel to reconsider.
Trump hosted Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday. The timing was deliberate: the letter was sent to land days before the meeting, and copied to Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff.
The issue is acute. Settler attacks on Palestinian villages, farms, and mosques in the West Bank have escalated sharply in recent months. Vehicles and homes have been torched. The violence is occurring while Israel is simultaneously fighting wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and against Iran, stretching its military and its international credibility.
The former officials’ warning reflects a growing concern inside Israel’s own security establishment that the West Bank is becoming an ungovernable powder keg, and that the government in Jerusalem is doing nothing to stop it.