A former head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency has ignited a political firestorm after comparing rising settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank to the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust.
Tamir Pardo, who served as Mossad director from 2011 to 2016, made the remarks during a tour of Palestinian villages that have recently been targeted by settler attacks. He was accompanied by former senior military officials, including ex-deputy IDF commander Matan Vilnai and former general Amram Mitzna .
“My mother was a Holocaust survivor, and what I saw reminded me of the events that happened against Jews in the last century,” Pardo told Israel’s Channel 13. “What I saw today made me feel ashamed to be Jewish” .
Pardo warned that the unchecked violence—which includes torched cars, property destruction, and physical assaults—represents an “existential threat” to the State of Israel . He accused Israeli authorities of being aware of the situation but having “chosen to ignore it” .
The former spy chief cautioned that efforts to curb the extremist settlers, many of whom are armed and enjoy political backing from far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, could spark a civil war . “What I saw today is the existential threat to the State of Israel,” he said, adding that the government is “sowing the seeds for the next October 7” attack .
Pardo also reflected on the warnings of Israeli philosopher Yeshayahu Leibowitz, who in 1968 predicted that prolonged occupation would corrupt Israeli society. “There was a lot of truth” to that warning, Pardo conceded .
According to human rights group Yesh Din, settlers have killed at least 16 Palestinians in 2026 so far, with hundreds of incidents recorded during the recent Iran war period alone . A UN report documented over 36,000 Palestinians displaced in the West Bank between November 2024 and October 2025 amid a surge in military and settler attacks .
