Former Mossad Director Tamir Pardo: West Bank Settler Violence Reminds Me of the Holocaust
Reflecto News | Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | Human Rights
TEL AVIV — In a stunning rebuke of the Israeli government’s handling of settler violence, former Mossad Director Tamir Pardo has drawn a direct comparison between the treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust — a statement that has sent shockwaves through the country’s political and security establishment .
While touring Palestinian villages that have been repeatedly targeted by extremist settlers in recent months, Pardo — who led Israel’s legendary spy agency from 2011 to 2016 — told Channel 13 that the scenes he witnessed left him feeling “ashamed” and triggered memories of his own mother’s survival of the Nazi genocide .
‘My Mother Was a Holocaust Survivor’
Pardo’s personal connection to the Holocaust gives his words extraordinary weight. His mother was the sole survivor of her family, having lost her parents and brother in the genocide . In a 2019 interview, Pardo explained that his mother had deliberately avoided discussing the Holocaust with her children, believing that the establishment of an independent Jewish state meant that “the problem that caused the Holocaust vanished” and that the family should focus on keeping the country “independent and democratic and free” .
Now, Pardo sees those very values under existential threat — not from external enemies, but from within.
“My mother was a Holocaust survivor, and what I saw reminded me of the events that happened against Jews in the last century. I feel ashamed.”
— Tamir Pardo, Former Mossad Director
An ‘Existential Threat’ to Israel
Pardo did not mince words about the consequences of unchecked settler violence. He warned that the phenomenon is not merely a humanitarian crisis for Palestinians but an “existential threat” to the State of Israel itself .
He warned that the combination of armed extremists and a government that has failed to stop them is actively “creating the conditions for the next October 7 attack” — but this time originating from the West Bank, rather than Gaza .
Pardo invoked the late Israeli philosopher Yeshayahu Leibowitz, who controversially warned decades ago that Israel’s control over millions of Palestinians in the territories would inevitably corrupt Israeli society. Pardo admitted that he used to think Leibowitz had “gone off the rails,” but after witnessing recent events, he now believes “there was a lot of truth” to what the philosopher had said .
The Risk of Civil War
Perhaps the most alarming aspect of Pardo’s warning is his assessment of the political power of the settler extremists. He told Channel 13 that pushing back against the violent settlers “could spark a civil war,” given how well-connected many of the extremists are within the halls of power .
Many of these individuals, Pardo noted, are “armed by the state” and have the backing of influential political figures — a reality that paralyzes law enforcement and protects perpetrators from accountability .
‘There Is an Apartheid State Here’
This is not the first time Pardo has drawn sharp criticism from the Israeli government for his outspoken views. In 2023, Pardo told the Associated Press that Israel is enforcing an “apartheid system” in the West Bank .
“There is an apartheid state here. In a territory where two people are judged under two legal systems, that is an apartheid state.”
— Tamir Pardo (2023 interview with the Associated Press)
At the time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party issued a scathing condemnation, stating: “Instead of defending Israel and the Israeli military, Pardo slanders Israel. Pardo. You should be ashamed” .
Pardo has also been an outspoken critic of Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul, which he has warned could lead Israel to become “a dictatorship” .
The Context: Rising Settler Violence
Pardo’s tour of Palestinian villages comes amid a dramatic increase in settler attacks in the West Bank. Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, extremist settlers have carried out hundreds of attacks against Palestinian civilians, including:
- Burning of homes and vehicles in villages such as Hawara, Turmus Ayya, and Umm Safa
- Live-fire shootings at Palestinian residents
- Assaults on farmers preventing them from harvesting olives
- Poaching of land to expand illegal settlement outposts
The Israeli military has been repeatedly criticized for failing to intervene to stop the attacks or to arrest known perpetrators. In many cases, soldiers have been filmed standing by while settlers rampage through Palestinian communities.
Pardo’s warning — that the situation could lead to “the next October 7” — reflects a growing concern within Israel’s security establishment that the West Bank is becoming a powder keg capable of exploding at any moment .
Key Takeaways for Reflecto News Readers
| Aspect | Summary |
|---|---|
| Who spoke | Tamir Pardo, former Mossad Director (2011–2016) |
| What he said | West Bank settler violence reminded him of “events that happened against Jews in the last century” |
| Personal connection | Pardo’s mother was a Holocaust survivor |
| Warning | Unchecked settler violence is an “existential threat” to Israel and is creating the conditions for another October 7 attack from the West Bank |
| Political risk | Pushing back could “spark a civil war” due to extremists’ political connections |
| Previous comments | Pardo has previously called Israeli rule in the West Bank “apartheid” |
| Government response | Likud previously said: “Pardo. You should be ashamed” |
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