April 29, 2026 – Tamir Pardo, who served as director of Israel’s Mossad from 2011 to 2016 under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has sparked controversy with strong criticism of Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
During a tour of Palestinian villages repeatedly targeted by settler attacks, alongside other former senior security officials and Channel 13 news, Pardo likened what he witnessed to events leading up to the Holocaust. As the son of a Holocaust survivor, he stated:
“My mother was a Holocaust survivor, and what I saw reminded me of the events that happened against Jews in the last century… What I saw today made me feel ashamed to be Jewish.”
Pardo described the escalating settler assaults, often involving raids, vandalism, and violence with limited intervention from authorities as an “existential threat” to the State of Israel. He warned that failing to curb the extremism is “planting the seeds for the next October 7,” potentially in an even more dangerous form due to the West Bank’s complexity.
He further noted that while Israeli authorities know the details, they largely choose to ignore them. Enforcing the law against the perpetrators, many of whom are armed or politically connected, could risk igniting a civil war within Israel.
Pardo’s remarks, made to Channel 13 on April 28, have drawn sharp backlash from right-wing Israeli figures who reject the Holocaust comparison as inflammatory and inappropriate. Supporters view them as a sobering internal warning from a centrist security veteran focused on Israel’s long-term survival rather than ideology.
Settler-related incidents in the West Bank have risen significantly in recent years, particularly since October 7, 2023, amid broader regional tensions. Pardo’s comments underscore deep divisions within Israel over governance in the territories, security policy, and moral implications.
