Former senior officials' letter to Trump, on the eve of Netanyahu's visit: "Settler terror is destructive, prevent a disaster"
"No one but you can prevent this disaster," wrote members of the "Commanders for Israel's Security" organization, which includes about 600 former senior security officials - including former heads of the Mossad and Shin Bet - to the President. "We hope you will use your meeting with the PM to convey a firm and clear message to him."
About 600 former senior officials of the IDF, Mossad, Shin Bet, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have appealed to US President Donald Trump with an urgent call to intervene against what they term "terrorist activity by Jewish settlers" in the West Bank, which could lead to results "even more catastrophic than the Hamas atrocities of October 7 and their multi-front consequences."
In a letter sent last night (Sunday) to the White House, on the eve of Trump's meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the senior officials called on the American president to intervene personally and pressure Israel to curb the violence: "Terror is terror is terror."
"No one but you, Mr. President, can prevent this disaster," wrote members of the organization "Commanders for Israel's Security," which is behind the letter. — "We sincerely hope that you will use your upcoming meeting with our Prime Minister to convey a firm and clear message on this matter."
According to them, the continuation of the violence and the policy intended to "strangle the Palestinian Authority, economically and in other ways," will destroy Israel's security, collapse the entire regional stability, and thwart political moves promoted by the American president. According to them, settler violence could close the possibility of advancing Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza, harm his ambition to expand the Abraham Accords, and even cause countries that have already signed the agreements to reconsider their relations with Israel.
"This path threatens to destroy Israel's security, harm American interests, and crush regional stability," they warned. The letter was sent to the White House and other senior officials in Trump's circle, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff. Among the senior security figures who signed it are former Mossad chief Danny Yatom, former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon, and the organization's chairman, Major General (res.) Matan Vilnai, who served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Minister for Home Front Defense.
The senior officials in the letter also direct a direct accusation against members of the Netanyahu government. "It is no secret that certain members of our current government are orchestrating a significant part of this chaos," they wrote. According to them, those ministers provide protection to their supporters, whom they described as "armed and driven by messianic impulses," and effectively prevent effective enforcement against them.
According to the signatories, this reality places the current heads of the security establishment before an almost impossible dilemma: "To act according to their professional judgment and duty, which require determined law enforcement, or to obey the instructions of the political leadership, as required in a democracy." They clarify that the Israeli security establishment knows how to deal well with Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations in the West Bank, but its ability to act against Jewish terror is very limited.
The organization presents itself as the largest movement in Israel of generals and colonels in the reserves, alongside former senior officials in the Mossad, Shin Bet, police, National Security Council, and the Foreign Ministry. Its ranks include nearly 600 members who support a security separation from the Palestinians and progress toward a two-state solution within a regional framework.
At the end of the letter, the senior officials implored 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." Netanyahu is expected to fly to Washington today and meet with Trump tomorrow.
