Dozens of former Israeli political, security, legal, and cultural figures have threatened legal action against the government, accusing it of failing to stop violence by Jewish extremists against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
According to a leaked letter seen by The Guardian, the group warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior security officials that they would petition Israel's High Court if immediate steps were not taken to end what they described as "Jewish terrorism".
The signatories include former prime ministers Ehud Olmert and Ehud Barak, former heads of the Mossad, Shin Bet, and police, senior military commanders, former judges, academics, and prominent public figures.
In the letter, they demanded action to stop attacks on Palestinians, including killings, assaults, arson, theft, and desecration of bodies. They alleged that perpetrators had acted with near-total impunity and accused authorities of failing to enforce the law.
The group argued that continued violence violated both Israeli and international law, harmed Israel's security interests, damaged the country's international standing, and fuelled antisemitism abroad.
The letter accused Netanyahu's government and its far-right coalition partners of enabling the attacks and pursuing policies aimed at facilitating the displacement of Palestinians and future annexation of West Bank territory.
It also alleged that some members of the Israeli military had either failed to intervene in attacks or had directly participated in them. The signatories claimed that armed settlers and members of regional defence units had been involved in incidents targeting Palestinians.
Addressing military and security officials directly, the group questioned why authorities had failed to dismantle networks of extremist settlers despite knowing their identities and locations.
The letter noted that recent public condemnations of settler violence by political and military leaders lacked credibility without concrete action.
According to United Nations data cited in the letter, at least 1,100 Palestinian civilians have been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the occupied West Bank since 2020, including a significant number of children.
The letter was sent to the prime minister's office, the ministries of defence and national security, the military, police, and intelligence agencies. Israeli authorities had not publicly responded to the allegations.