Dozens of senior Israelis have threatened legal action in a “final warning” to the government over its support for “Jewish terrorism” and an “ideology of ethnic cleansing” in the occupied West Bank, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition continues to expand settlements at an unprecedented rate ahead of elections.
The letter, seen by The National, is dated June 17 and signed by senior Israelis from the security, political and cultural worlds. They include two former prime ministers, ex-heads of Israeli security agencies and a Nobel laureate. The signatories said they would go to Israel’s Supreme Court if the government did not act.
Settler violence has surged during the tenure of the current government, which contains many ministers who are themselves radical settlers. The rate of crimes against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank accelerated after the Gaza war began in October 2023. The attacks, which take place daily, include murder, sexual assault and destruction of property.
The signatories warned that the violence in the West Bank, which some activists have described as “anarchy”, has broken international law, increased anti-Semitism abroad and damaged Israel’s international standing.
“The crimes of Jewish terrorism in the [Palestinian] territories are reminiscent of similar crimes and pogroms committed against our people by other nations in Eastern Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries,” they said.
“The [Israeli military] has a clear policy of ignoring the crimes of Jewish terrorism, and in many incidents soldiers from the regional defence units and security squads are themselves involved in the crimes of Jewish terrorism.”
On Wednesday, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a high-profile settler, declared more than 46 hectares as state land for an Israeli outpost in the West Bank.
The current built-up area of Haroeh, near the major settlements of Eli and Shlio, covers a small part of the total land allotted, raising fears that significantly more construction is planned.
Anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now said almost all of the West Bank territory declared state land since the Oslo Accords in the 1990s had been declared since the current government took office in December 2022.
Mr Netanyahu and Mr Smotrich are “exploiting every moment in power to create more and more facts on the ground that will make it harder for Israel to reach peace”, the group said in a statement.
“Today it is clear to everyone that this conflict cannot be resolved without a political agreement that includes the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, yet the Israeli government is choosing instead to make this possibility more difficult and move us further away from peace and from ending the bloodshed.”
Israeli rights group Bimkom revealed on Wednesday that Israel issued as many “settlement jurisdiction orders” since October 2023 as in the past 22 years combined. The once “relatively obscure administrative tool [is now] a central mechanism for settlement expansions and territorial control”, it said.
When the orders take effect, making the land part of a settlement’s jurisdiction, it becomes “available for planning, infrastructure, and expansion”.
“In practice, jurisdiction orders often precede the establishment of new settlements and can shape future patterns of land use long before construction begins,” Bimkom added.
Western politicians have tried, with little success, to ban trade with Israeli settlements. On Tuesday, three prominent French MPs unveiled a draft law to prevent such trade that they hope will be adopted this year.
A move by France to sever ties with Israeli settlements would be a political bombshell in a country that has tried to take a middle line by supporting Palestinian rights while maintaining close ties with the Israeli government, which it regards as an ally.
The draft French law increases pressure on the European Union, Israel’s largest trading partner, to advance similar moves. Despite a push in recent months led by France and Sweden, the European Commission has yet to table proposals for member states to restrict trade with settlements.
Some EU states are moving forward on their own. Spain and Slovenia banned trade with settlements last year. They are set to be followed by Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands in the coming months. However, Slovenia's recently elected President Janez Jansa has said he would reverse his predecessor's pro-Palestinian decisions.
