President Herzog warns Netanyahu of severe consequences from unchecked settler violence

President Isaac Herzog sent a stern warning to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials in an October 8 letter, describing the current situation in the West Bank as a highly explosive and dangerous reality. The correspondence, obtained by The Times of Israel, highlights the president's concern over the moral disgrace of ongoing settler violence and the limited resources available to security forces.

In the letter, Herzog addressed Foreign Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. He noted that personnel from the IDF, police, and Shin Bet are facing a worrying shortage of manpower and tools. The President warned that upcoming elections in Israel, the United States, and the Palestinian Authority, combined with the olive harvest season, create a volatile environment.

Herzog cautioned that a severe flare-up on the ground could have far-reaching consequences. These impacts would extend to Israel's security, its function as a sovereign state, international standing, the economy, and Diaspora Jewry. The warning came amid the establishment of new sanctions regimes in approximately a dozen Western countries regarding Israeli policy in the West Bank.

The President called for authorities to treat perpetrators of violence as members of an organized crime group. He advocated for the use of all available state tools to dismantle these criminal organizations, stating there is no room for lawlessness in a sovereign state. Herzog proposed a comprehensive plan that includes mass deployment of security forces, widespread arrests, and administrative detentions, a measure recently outlawed by Katz for Jewish suspects.

Herzog also urged the creation of an inter-ministerial team to integrate welfare, education, and local government officials in addressing the phenomenon. He stressed the need for dialogue with the attorney general, police, and judiciary regarding the leniency often shown in arrests and the release of detainees. He described the responsibility as a national priority that should not be delayed.

Despite the letter, settler attacks have continued unabated in the month since it was sent. On Wednesday, Palestinian media reported that settlers set fire to several vehicles and fields near the village of Beit Ummar in the Hebron area. No injuries were reported, and no arrests were made in this specific incident.

The violence is linked to the expansion of more than 250 illegal outposts across the West Bank. Several thousand Palestinians have been forced to flee their villages over the past three years due to fear for their lives. On Wednesday, settler activists established a new outpost inside the Palestinian city of Jericho by taking up residence in eight homes.

The Benyamin Regional Council and the Nachala settlement organization claimed they coordinated the purchase of the properties in secret. They stated the buildings are on state land, which is not privately owned. Regional Council head Israel Ganz announced the move as part of efforts to dismantle the Oslo Accords, stating that Israel is reversing course house by house.

Two Palestinian residents near the new outpost said settlers blocked off the area and opened fire as they entered. Footage showed an Israeli activist assisting a Palestinian with a head injury. Although IDF forces escorted the families to their new homes, the army later claimed the entry was not coordinated with the military and that the security implications are currently under examination.

The organization Peace Now described the development as a security danger and a diplomatic catastrophe. The group warned that the new settlement could create a reality similar to that in Hebron, placing an immense burden on the IDF to protect an Israeli population in the heart of a Palestinian neighborhood. Peace Now called on the army to remove the settlers immediately.