Israeli former leaders and security chiefs threaten legal action over ‘Jewish terrorism’

The letter accuses the IDF of complicity in terrorism through a failure to intervene and active participation in violence. Photograph: Nasser Ishtayeh/Sopa Images/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen The letter accuses the IDF of complicity in terrorism through a failure to intervene and active participation in violence. Photograph: Nasser Ishtayeh/Sopa Images/Shutterstock Israeli former leaders and security chiefs threaten legal action over ‘Jewish terrorism’ Leaked letter to PM and military demands action to stop violence against Palestinians in occupied West Bank Dozens of Israelis from the country’s security, political and cultural elite have threatened legal action against their government over support for Jewish terrorism and an “ideology of ethnic cleansing” in the occupied West Bank , according to a leaked letter. Two former prime ministers, former heads of all Israeli security services, former judges, a Nobel laureate and the country’s most revered living novelist were among the signatories to a “final warning” over violence against Palestinians. They demanded immediate action to “eradicate Jewish terrorism”, cataloguing years of attacks including murder , sexual assault , theft, arson and desecration of the dead, by civilian and military perpetrators who act with “almost complete impunity”. The campaign of extreme violence against Palestinians breaks Israeli and international law, puts Israel’s security at risk, isolates the country internationally and fuels antisemitism around the world, they said. “This letter is a wake-up call and a final warning: We demand that you take all necessary measures to immediately eradicate Jewish terrorism that has been prevalent in Judea and Samaria in recent years,” the letter said, using an Israeli term for the occupied West Bank . If the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, his defence and security ministers and security commanders do not condemn and stop the violence, the signatories say they will petition Israel’s high court to force their hand. The letter, which has not been made public, was sent to the prime minister’s office, ministries of defence and national security, the military, police, intelligence services. A copy was seen by the Guardian. Signatories now raising the alarm about violence against Palestinians include commanders who led Israeli forces in occupied Palestine , and politicians who presided over years of settlement expansion. Their acute sense of crisis is not reflected in the broader public debate in Israel as unofficial campaigning gets under way for elections due by the end of October. The letter accused Netanyahu and his far-right coalition partners, who are expected to seek another term in power together, of enabling attacks on Palestinians to further an extremist agenda of ethnic cleansing and annexation. View image in fullscreen Palestinians gather to protest against the settlement activities of Israelis in the Masafer Yatta area of Hebron, West Bank. Photograph: Anadolu/