Palestinian terror, not ‘settler violence,’ threatens Israel’s security in Judea & Samaria, say IDF veterans

Peloni:  Todah Rabah Gen. Erez Winter!  Once again, for those who are caught facing a challenge on behalf of the ‘Settler Violence’ narrative, please refer to the 125 page report by Regavim which clearly articulates that the claim of widespread settler violence in Judea and Samaria is a fabricated smear designed to delegitimize the Jewish presence in the territory and the State of Israel.  Most relevantly, this false narrative is being weaponized to support the return of the Two State Solution, ie the creation of a second Palestinian state.  Nothing is more relevant and useful in fighting this narrative war than the facts and details shared in Regavim’s report which is accurately titled, **“False Flags and Real Agendas: Settler Violence – A Modern Blood Libel”**.  For easy reference the link for this document will permanently be available at the top Left Column of Israpundit.org.

Israel’s security situation better than could be expected, argues retired general

Hanan Lischinsky| All Israel News | Published: July 29, 2026

Brigadier General (Res.) Erez Winner, IDSF Chairman, penned a letter in response to an open letter to US Pres. Trump form a number of Two State Solution advocates, former security officials, who are advocating for a crackdown on the mythical ‘Settler Violence’. Screengrab via Youtube.

With Israel approaching the three-year mark in the campaign sometimes dubbed the “seven-front war,” security leadership and experts are increasingly divided over how to evaluate Israel’s actions and the country’s overall security outlook.

Over the past few days, the viewpoint that the war has been a “failure” was stated in comments by an outgoing senior defense ministry official and in an open letter to the U.S. president sent by Commanders for Israel’s Security (CIS), a left-leaning group comprised of hundreds of former senior security officials.

However, Israel’s Defense and Security Forum (IDSF), a more hawkish organization that also represents hundreds of former security officials, has offered a different assessment in recent days, emphasizing what it describes as the achievements made during three years of fighting.

One of the key areas of disagreement concerns the situation in Judea and Samaria, including both the threat posed by Palestinian terrorism and the extent of the challenge posed by Jewish nationalist crime.

Earlier this week, CIS, which supports a two-state solution, appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump to take decisive action against the “escalating violence in the West Bank” and “Jewish settler terror activity” that is “poised to ignite the region.”

On Wednesday, IDSF Chairman Brig.-Gen. Erez Winner penned a response letter slamming CIS for “daring to compare local civilian friction to the horrors of Hamas. This is a moral bankruptcy.”

“We clarify in the most unequivocal manner that we condemn all violence and any violation of the law from any side, and demand firm police action in every individual case,” he stressed.

However, IDSF noted that “analysis of the data proves that the narrative of ‘settler violence’ is nothing more than a… propaganda campaign,” for which the group blamed “extreme left-wing organizations.”

These groups receive “tens of millions of shekels from European countries and the UN to create a false front of planned violence, aimed at weakening the legitimacy of the Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria, with the goal of ultimately evacuating the Israeli residents and handing the territory over to the Palestinian Authority, just as they did in Gaza 21 years ago,” according to IDSF.

The letter emphasized that “an in-depth examination of UN data shows that the vast majority of reports of Israeli violence are inflated and distorted,” which included thousands of cases of security checks, visits to the Temple Mount by Jews, or civilian hikes.

Meanwhile, the real threat in Judea and Samaria remains. “Palestinian terrorism and Iran’s expansion throughout Judea and Samaria which threatens Israeli civilians on a daily basis,” the letter concluded.

Winner also criticized CIS, accusing the group of promoting what he described as a “peace through surrender” approach and citing its previous support for the Iran nuclear deal and Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from Gaza.

The exchange of letters highlighted the broader political divide in Israeli society, with differing perspectives on security issues often reflecting wider ideological differences. While IDSF does not formally identify with a political party, it is generally viewed as aligned with the right, a perception reinforced by Winner’s recent appearances on media outlets considered supportive of the current government.

Winner offered qualified praise for the government’s actions across several arenas in the war, which strongly contrasted with comments by IDF Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Dror Shalom that “from a strategic standpoint, the war is a resounding failure.”

Speaking to Channel 7, he praised the government’s initial moves during the war to stem terrorism in Judea and Samaria, saying that “We did not turn a blind eye to any incident – not even a single stone being thrown. That aggressive policy significantly reduced the level of violence and friction.”

However, he said that security forces then took the “foot off the gas. At the same time, the Palestinian Authority’s incitement campaign continued – in the education system, the media, and public discourse.”

Combined with increased settlement activity, these developments have contributed to renewed attention on violence in the area in recent weeks. Winner argued, however, that such incidents have been occurring for a longer period, saying that “for many months there have been attempts to set farms on fire, poison livestock, and attack shepherds… this reality has existed for quite some time.”

Winner concluded: “The real threat to the State of Israel is not only Gaza, Lebanon, or Iran. It is also the hundreds of thousands of weapons that have been smuggled into the area, the criminal organizations, and the Palestinian Authority. If we don’t deal with this in time, October 7 may turn out to have been only a preview of what could still happen.”

In another interview at the Channel 14 Israel Security Conference this week, Winner directly refuted claims like those presented by Shalom, arguing that nobody could’ve imagined eighteen months ago “that today we would be in such a good security situation.”

He argued that, in Gaza, the situation is “excellent,” adding, “The work isn’t done, but we have Hamas by the throat.”

Regarding Lebanon, he described the situation as “good.” He noted that “residents of the north have returned home safely. Hezbollah has been beaten and is begging for a ceasefire and some kind of agreement that will save it from itself.”

“We’re in a good security position in Syria. We are sitting on the crown of Mount Hermon and on the slopes of Mount Hermon, protecting our Druze brothers.”

Regarding Iran, the retired general emphasized that the Islamic Republic “fired at everyone” in recent weeks but “did not fire at Israel because we threaten them, because … we are the actor that people fear in this neighborhood.”

“Today, the State of Israel, under its new security doctrine, is no longer the nice guy. It is the one that knows how to restore order, strike in every capital in the Middle East, eliminate all the enemy leaders around us – and we are not finished.”