[SS from essay by Mairav Zonszein, Senior Analyst on Israel at the International Crisis Group.]
In August, Ronen Bar, the head of Israel’s general security service, the Shin Bet, wrote a remarkable letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli cabinet ministers. The letter didn’t get much attention in Israel or abroad, but it went to the heart of the crisis that has afflicted the country since the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas. Bar warned that intensifying attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, which he called “Jewish terrorism,” challenge “Israel’s national security” and are a “large stain on Judaism.” He described a trend in which “hilltop youth” (the term used in Israel for extremist settlers, although some of these militants are long past their youth) in the West Bank are not only assaulting Palestinians but also clashing with Israeli security forces—all with the backing of senior members of the government. The settler militias had gone from “evading the security forces to attacking the security forces,” Bar wrote, “from cutting themselves off from the establishment to receiving legitimacy from certain officials in the establishment.”
Over the past year, events in the West Bank have been obscured first by Israel’s ongoing offensive in [Gaza](https://www.foreignaffairs.com/tags/gaza) and now by the war’s escalation in Lebanon and Iranian strikes on Israeli territory. But since October 7, 2023, the UN has recorded over 1,400 incidents of settler attacks in the occupied territories (ranging from vandalism to assault, arson, and live fire) that resulted in injury or property damage and led to the displacement of 1,600 Palestinians from their homes, an uptick after an already record-breaking year of settler violence in 2023. Bar’s intervention in the summer came as Israeli officials in the defense ministry and the Israel Defense Forces warned that the West Bank was on the verge of an explosion that could cause hundreds of Israeli fatalities in a new conflagration in Israel’s multifront war.
How [Israel](https://www.foreignaffairs.com/regions/israel) conducts itself in the West Bank has implications that go well beyond the fate of Palestinians. The contest that pits Israel’s security establishment against the ascendant far right and its settler allies is not over whether Israel should use force in Gaza, stop occupying the West Bank, or make concessions to help find a solution to the decades-old conflict. It’s a clash over the security of the Israeli state, which for many Israelis is a battle over its identity. Israel could heed the warnings of security officials such as Bar or it could continue to be guided by the imperatives of the far right. The latter course will cause more bloodshed, ultimately hurt Israel’s standing and support in the West, and lead to further international isolation and even pariah status. Many Israelis who still view their country as secular, liberal, and democratic see the struggle against the extreme right as existential, with ramifications for every level of governance and Israel’s foreign relations. This battle will decisively shape Israeli politics and security in the years to come.
hEarrai-Stottle on
It should be clear to anyone pro-Israel that the expansion of settlements, and the settler violence that comes with it, is untenable when it comes to Israel’s international reputation with its allies. Attacks like Oct 7th, and the subsequent conflicts, will buy Israel diplomatic cover when it comes to defending itself but the reputation of being an ‘apartheid’ state will never leave them if this continues. Boomers still run their allies countries but eventually Gen X and then Millennials will be in charge. When those days come, Israel is going to become a pariah if this is still their modus operandi in the future. I’m slightly more sympathetic than most Millennials to Israel’s plight but don’t feel sorry for them when it comes to criticism of the settlements. From a cold, realpolitik view, I know exactly why they’re doing this (it’s an insurance policy similar to what Russia have done) but feel it is extremely risky if Israel is banking on their allies remaining in place.
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[SS from essay by Mairav Zonszein, Senior Analyst on Israel at the International Crisis Group.]
In August, Ronen Bar, the head of Israel’s general security service, the Shin Bet, wrote a remarkable letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli cabinet ministers. The letter didn’t get much attention in Israel or abroad, but it went to the heart of the crisis that has afflicted the country since the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas. Bar warned that intensifying attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, which he called “Jewish terrorism,” challenge “Israel’s national security” and are a “large stain on Judaism.” He described a trend in which “hilltop youth” (the term used in Israel for extremist settlers, although some of these militants are long past their youth) in the West Bank are not only assaulting Palestinians but also clashing with Israeli security forces—all with the backing of senior members of the government. The settler militias had gone from “evading the security forces to attacking the security forces,” Bar wrote, “from cutting themselves off from the establishment to receiving legitimacy from certain officials in the establishment.”
Over the past year, events in the West Bank have been obscured first by Israel’s ongoing offensive in [Gaza](https://www.foreignaffairs.com/tags/gaza) and now by the war’s escalation in Lebanon and Iranian strikes on Israeli territory. But since October 7, 2023, the UN has recorded over 1,400 incidents of settler attacks in the occupied territories (ranging from vandalism to assault, arson, and live fire) that resulted in injury or property damage and led to the displacement of 1,600 Palestinians from their homes, an uptick after an already record-breaking year of settler violence in 2023. Bar’s intervention in the summer came as Israeli officials in the defense ministry and the Israel Defense Forces warned that the West Bank was on the verge of an explosion that could cause hundreds of Israeli fatalities in a new conflagration in Israel’s multifront war.
How [Israel](https://www.foreignaffairs.com/regions/israel) conducts itself in the West Bank has implications that go well beyond the fate of Palestinians. The contest that pits Israel’s security establishment against the ascendant far right and its settler allies is not over whether Israel should use force in Gaza, stop occupying the West Bank, or make concessions to help find a solution to the decades-old conflict. It’s a clash over the security of the Israeli state, which for many Israelis is a battle over its identity. Israel could heed the warnings of security officials such as Bar or it could continue to be guided by the imperatives of the far right. The latter course will cause more bloodshed, ultimately hurt Israel’s standing and support in the West, and lead to further international isolation and even pariah status. Many Israelis who still view their country as secular, liberal, and democratic see the struggle against the extreme right as existential, with ramifications for every level of governance and Israel’s foreign relations. This battle will decisively shape Israeli politics and security in the years to come.
It should be clear to anyone pro-Israel that the expansion of settlements, and the settler violence that comes with it, is untenable when it comes to Israel’s international reputation with its allies. Attacks like Oct 7th, and the subsequent conflicts, will buy Israel diplomatic cover when it comes to defending itself but the reputation of being an ‘apartheid’ state will never leave them if this continues. Boomers still run their allies countries but eventually Gen X and then Millennials will be in charge. When those days come, Israel is going to become a pariah if this is still their modus operandi in the future. I’m slightly more sympathetic than most Millennials to Israel’s plight but don’t feel sorry for them when it comes to criticism of the settlements. From a cold, realpolitik view, I know exactly why they’re doing this (it’s an insurance policy similar to what Russia have done) but feel it is extremely risky if Israel is banking on their allies remaining in place.