IDF officers tell Trump: 'Settler violence' claims ignore West Bank terrorism -exclusive

ByJERUSALEM POST STAFFJULY 28, 2026 21:22Updated: JULY 28, 2026 21:50A group representing thousands of retired Israeli military officers and security professionals sent US President Donald Trump a letter rejecting allegations of widespread violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, escalating a dispute between rival groups of former Israeli defense officials seeking to influence the White House.The letter, obtained by The Jerusalem Post, was sent by Israel’s Defense and Security Forum in response to an appeal from Commanders for Israel’s Security, a separate organization representing hundreds of former senior officials from the IDF, Mossad, Shin Bet, Israel Police and diplomatic establishment.The earlier letter warned Trump that violence by Jewish extremists in the West Bank threatened Israel’s security, US regional interests and prospects for diplomatic progress.IDSF chairman Brig.-Gen. (res.) Erez Winner rejected that assessment, accusing CIS of presenting a distorted picture of violence involving Israeli residents of the West Bank, known in Israel by its biblical names of Judea and Samaria.The IDSF letter said the organization condemned violence and lawbreaking by Israelis or Palestinians and supported firm police action against offenders.Family, friends and residents attend the funeral of Benayahu Melet at the Israeli settlement of Havat Gilad in the West Bank, July 24, 2026. (credit: HILEL BEN OR/FLASH90)“We condemn all violence and any violation of the law from any side, and demand firm police action in every individual case,” Winner wrote.'Settler violence' claims smear all West Bank Jews, IDSF saysAt the same time, IDSF argued that the phrase “settler violence” had been turned into a political campaign aimed at portraying more than half a million Israeli residents of the West Bank as collectively responsible for the actions of a small extremist fringe.The organization accused international bodies and Israeli human-rights groups of inflating statistics by classifying incidents as violence even when they involved routine security procedures or nonviolent civilian activity.According to the letter, incidents recorded in international databases included Israeli security checks, Jewish visits to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and hikes or tours in disputed areas that contained “no element of violence.”IDSF also claimed that more than half of complaints submitted by activist organizations in areas of Israeli-Palestinian friction were later determined to be deliberately false. The letter did not include police records, the relevant UN database or other documentation supporting that figure.The organization cited a February 2026 fire at a Palestinian-owned sheep pen as an example of an incident initially blamed on Israeli settlers. IDSF said a police investigation later concluded that the blaze had been caused by an illegal electrical connection installed by the Palestinian owner.According to the letter, the initial allegation contributed to the international perception that the fire was part of a broader pattern of attacks by Israeli settlers.IDSF named Yesh Din, B’Tselem and Breaking the Silence among the organizations it accused of promoting the narrative, saying they received tens of millions of shekels from European governments and the United Nations.The letter alleged that those organizations sought to weaken the legitimacy of Jewish communities in the West Bank and advance their eventual evacuation as part of a territorial withdrawal.The groups were not quoted in the material provided to the Post.Rival groups clash over Israeli security policyThe dispute also reflected a deeper ideological division among retired members of Israel’s security establishment.IDSF accused the CIS leadership of supporting a “peace through surrender” approach based on Israeli territorial concessions and withdrawals. It pointed to support among some former security officials for the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.The disengagement removed all Israeli settlements and permanent military installations from Gaza. Hamas took control of the territory two years later, and the group used Gaza as the base for its October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.IDSF argued that the same former officials who supported the withdrawal were now using isolated incidents of Israeli violence to promote a similar policy in the West Bank.The CIS letter, meanwhile, reportedly urged Trump to press Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to confront Jewish extremists and prevent government officials from interfering with law-enforcement efforts.CIS has warned that attacks by Israelis against Palestinians could further weaken the Palestinian Authority, inflame the West Bank and undermine American efforts to expand regional normalization agreements between Israel and Arab states.The exchange came amid heightened tensions in the West Bank, where Israeli security forces have faced a combination of Palestinian terrorist attacks, settler violence and repeated confrontations between Israeli and Palestinian civilians.A mosque in the Palestinian village of Kusra was set on fire Sunday in a suspected nationalist attack. Hebrew graffiti referring to revenge for an Israeli victim of Palestinian terrorism was found at the scene.Israeli officials have repeatedly condemned attacks by Jewish extremists and said those responsible should be prosecuted. Critics of the government have argued that enforcement remains inconsistent and that extremist activists have received political protection.IDSF maintained that the focus on settler violence diverted attention from the larger threat posed by Palestinian terrorist organizations and Iranian attempts to expand their influence in the West Bank.“Mr. President, you have always known how to identify the truth from alternative facts,” Winner wrote. “We call on you to continue to stand alongside truth, justice, and the steadfast alliance between the United States and Israel.”Shimon Refaeli, deputy head of the Institute for Security Policy at the Israel Defense and Security Forum (IDSF-Habithonistim), said the letter was sent to US President Donald Trump because “Israel’s security and international legitimacy cannot be abandoned.”“In recent years, international and local actors have promoted a false and fabricated narrative accusing the communities in Judea and Samaria of organized violence,” Refaeli told the Post.He said the allegations had caused significant damage by contributing to efforts to delegitimize Israel and distracting its international supporters from Palestinian terrorism and growing Iranian influence in the West Bank.“It is our duty at IDSF to present the truth on behalf of hundreds of thousands of combatants, officers and commanders, and to lay out the facts as they are to our closest ally,” he said.Refaeli described systemic “settler violence” as an orchestrated propaganda campaign intended to force the removal of Jewish communities from the West Bank. He argued that violent incidents were marginal and that statistics were inflated by classifying routine security checks and civilian tours as acts of violence.Follow us on Google