"Ethnic Cleansing": Israeli Ex-Generals On Attacks In West Bank

A group of former Israeli generals and senior security officials is now speaking up against settler violence on Palestinians in the West Bank.Some of the former officials have described the attacks as "Jewish terrorism" and "ethnic cleansing". They say the violence is happening with the support of, or without enough action from, the Israeli government and security forces, according to The NY Times.Maj. Gen. Eyal Ben-Reuven, a former Israeli army commander, said his view of the biggest threat facing Israel has changed after visiting Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During a recent visit to the West Bank, he said he saw the remains of a Palestinian school looted by settlers. He also met Palestinian farmers and shepherds who said they had been beaten and threatened by settlers."This, what the settlers are doing here, is the real threat to Israel. This is more concerning to me than Iran, Gaza or Lebanon," he said.More than 200 prominent Israelis signed a letter in June calling on the government to stop attacks on Palestinian civilians. The signatories included two former prime ministers, more than 30 retired Army and Air Force generals, former heads of Israel's foreign and domestic intelligence agencies, senior lawyers, diplomats, rabbis and a Nobel laureate.The group also alleged that the military, Shin Bet and police have sometimes been involved or have failed to stop the attacks. They demanded details of public money spent on roads, water, electricity, vehicles and weapons supporting these settlements.The Israeli military has rejected claims that it supports violent settlers. It said its orders are to protect all residents and that soldiers who take part in settler attacks or fail to stop them are violating orders."Our mission is to protect all residents, and that any soldier who takes part in settler attacks or stands by while they occur is acting in complete disregard of their orders," the Israeli military said.Some of the retired officials now criticising settler violence once took part in Israeli military operations against Palestinians. They argue that their military actions were carried out under orders and within a chain of command and legal system."If I had to, I could make a legal defense of what the Israel Defense Forces have done in Gaza. But what is happening today in the West Bank? It's indefensible," said Gal Levertov, the former head of the international division at the Ministry of Justice.Since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, more than 3,200 Palestinians have been displaced by settler attacks in 2026 alone, twice the rate recorded last year. The number of Palestinians injured in such attacks has risen from one person every three days in 2020 to more than three people a day in 2026.More than 1,100 Palestinians, including combatants, have been killed in the West Bank since October 2023, according to the UN. Most were killed by Israeli forces.