On Monday, July 27, just before Benjamin Netanyahu‘s visit to Washington, nearly 600 former generals and colonels from Israel’s army, intelligence services, diplomats, and police sent a letter to Donald Trump, urging him to issue a ‘red warning’ regarding the situation in the West Bank. This unprecedented letter received little attention in Western media but was widely reported in Arab and Hebrew-language outlets.
In this ‘clear and decisive message,’ the authors stressed the urgent need to halt the escalating violence in the Palestinian territory, which they attribute to ‘Jewish terrorists.’ The letter was published by the movement ‘Commanders for Israel’s Security’ (CIS), which includes over 550 former high-ranking officials from Israeli security forces and diplomatic services. The appeal was covered by Israeli media, including The Times of Israel, Channel 14, and 103FM, as well as Arab-language media, such as Al-Araby and Al Jazeera.
Warning About the Escalation of Violence
The CIS movement, which previously warned about the risks of Israel’s war in Gaza in 2025, publishes analyses and recommendations on national security issues. In their letter, its representatives cautioned Donald Trump about the ‘increase in terrorist activities by Jewish settlers and government policies aimed at suppressing the Palestinian Authority’ in the West Bank. They warned that if this policy continues, its consequences ‘may turn out to be even more catastrophic than the atrocities of Hamas on October 7.’
The authors of the letter warned that the current trajectory of events ‘threatens to destroy Israel’s security, compromise American interests, and disrupt regional stability.’ The statement was issued shortly after the attack on the villages of Tell and Sarra in the West Bank, where on Friday, four young Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers were killed. In Sarra, settlers set fire to homes and vehicles, while Israeli bulldozers uprooted hundreds of olive trees.
Criticism of the Israeli Government and a Call from the UN
On Wednesday, two years after the International Court of Justice of the UN declared the Israeli occupation of the West Bank illegal, the UN stated that violence by settlers and territorial annexation are ‘only getting worse.’ Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, emphasized: ‘As attacks by Israeli settlers, as well as the establishment of settlements and outposts, reach unprecedented levels, third-party states must act urgently and in a coordinated manner to stop the killings and evictions that the Palestinian people continue to suffer from, and to put an end to the Israeli occupation.’
The letter also contains sharp criticism of individual members of the Israeli government. The authors claim that they protect their supporters — armed settlers, whom they describe as people driven by ‘messianic impulses’ — from legal accountability. The Times of Israel notes that similar accusations have been repeatedly directed at ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. The letter, signed by Matan Vilnai, former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces and former Israeli ambassador to China, received no response from the Trump administration before, during, or after Netanyahu‘s visit to the White House.
Source: Libération
