Israeli intel chief warns Netanyahu of 'Jewish terror' amid settler attacks

Israel's internal security service chief has sounded the alarm to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about his extremist political allies, labelling the escalating iilegal settler violence in the occupied West Bank as "Jewish terror" and placing the blame squarely on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and his henchmen, according to a report by Israeli TV Channel 12.

In a no-holds-barred letter delivered on Thursday, Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar pointed to the alarming surge in attacks by the setters, like the recent assault on the Palestinian village of Jit, as evidence that the situation is spiralling out of control, putting Israel on the brink of disaster.

Bar's message, according to the Jerusalem Post, was clear: Ben-Gvir and other members of the coalition are not just complicit but are actively stoking the flames.

He cited Ben-Gvir's provocative visit to the Al Aqsa Mosque Compound, referred to as the Temple Mount by Jews, which defied government policy and encouraged mass violations of the status quo, as a glaring example of this reckless behavior.

He rejected the term "nationalistic crimes" for the current settler violence in the West Bank, insisting it must be called what it is — Jewish terror.

This is no longer about isolated acts of violence but a concerted campaign to impose domination over a minority, with the attackers now brazenly using lethal weapons, Bar reportedly said.

The extremists, who once operated in the shadows, are now emboldened by the expectation that their coalition allies will shield them from any real consequences, even providing financial support, the letter states.

This unchecked violence, Bar warned, is tearing apart Israel's social fabric and jeopardising international support, even from Israel's staunchest allies.

He also sounded the alarm that the Israeli military is neither trained nor equipped to manage the expanding scope of this Jewish terror.

Ben-Gvir responded furiously, demanding Bar's dismissal during an Israeli cabinet meeting on Thursday night, accusing him of October 7 security failures, and attacking his letter.

1,270 attacks on Palestinians in West Bank

A disciple of the extremist rabbi Meir Kahane, Ben-Gvir was ushered into the Israeli parliament three years ago after a deal brokered by Netanyahu with religious extremists.

Since then Ben-Gvir has gone from being a fringe settler boss, Palestine-hating, far-right provocateur to holding a key position in the Israeli regime.

Most recently he distributed weapons to Zionist settlers in areas of the occupied West Bank, where Palestinians have faced almost daily onslaught from Israeli troops and settlers.

Israeli troops and Zionist settlers have killed nearly 680 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since October last year.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says it has recorded some 1,270 attacks by illegal Israeli settlers against Palestinians over the past 10 months, "causing deaths and injuries and damage to property."