Israel’s internal security chief has warned that a new generation of “Jewish terror leaders” is taking advantage of the implicit support of the country’s police to attack Palestinians in the West Bank. Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar expressed his concerns in a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating that these individuals aim to disrupt the system and cause irreparable harm to Israel.
Bar’s letter was seen as a veiled criticism of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a right-wing politician known for his admiration of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, whose party was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the US in 1997. The letter highlighted the rift within Netanyahu’s fragile governing coalition, particularly against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Gaza, which Israeli officials view as part of a broader conflict with Iran.
Experts warn that Iran is fueling unrest in the West Bank, while Ben Gvir’s actions are exacerbating the situation. “You have efforts by Ben Gvir and others to intimidate the population of the West Bank and to respond to force with force, but in a way that is extrajudicial and potentially combustible,” said Jonathan Schanzer, Senior Vice President of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Ben Gvir’s rise to prominence has coincided with an increase in violence in the West Bank, according to Western officials. “The scale of this problem is incomparable to what it was like just two, three, or five years ago,” said a European official based in Israel. “These violent settlers feel that they can do whatever they want, and there is very limited action against them.”
The violence has taken on added significance amidst the war against Hamas, as Israeli officials struggle to contain the international backlash over civilian casualties in Gaza. Israeli officials accuse Iran of smuggling weapons and money into the West Bank to create a pro-Iranian Islamic terror front, which is strengthened by the settler violence.
Bar’s letter emphasized that this activity is undermining the state’s security and institutions, and is a threat to the very existence of Israel. He warned that some individuals are willing to jeopardize the state’s security in the name of an ideology that prioritizes Judaism over democracy.
The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on Israeli settlers involved in the attacks, which Ben Gvir has denounced as anti-Semitic. However, the violence has continued, with a recent raid by dozens of Israeli settlers on a Palestinian village resulting in the killing of one Palestinian and the injuring of another.
The incident has sparked a heated debate within the Israeli government, with Ben Gvir demanding that Netanyahu fire Bar and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant praising the Shin Bet chief for his warnings. The controversy has highlighted the deep divisions within Israel, almost 11 months into the war sparked by the surprise attack by Hamas.
