Former senior Shin Bet official Yaron Hamias and Channel 14 journalist Tal Meir launched a sharp attack Monday against hundreds of former Israeli officials who sent a letter to President Donald Trump warning that violence by Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria is 'more destructive' than the Hamas atrocities of October 7, according to reports from Tal Meir's channel. Hamias said he was 'ashamed' and called the comparison 'complete insanity,' while Meir said the letter's authors were 'completely brainwashed' and accused them of lying about non-existent terror in Judea and Samaria.
The letter, which The Zioneer reported earlier Monday, was signed by hundreds of former senior security officials and sent to President Trump. It warned that violence by Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria could prove 'more destructive than the Hamas atrocities on October 7,' according to a ynet report cited by the former officials. The letter drew immediate backlash from right-wing commentators and former security officials.
Yaron Hamias, a former senior Shin Bet official, said in a statement published by Tal Meir's channel: 'You've gone completely crazy — I'm ashamed of you! I couldn't believe there could be a Jew in the world capable of comparing the horrors of October 7 to another event. Women were raped and babies were burned! What is wrong with you?!' Hamias's remarks reflect deep anger among some former security personnel who view the letter as a betrayal of the memory of the October 7 massacre.
Tal Meir, a Channel 14 journalist, also condemned the letter, calling it 'insanity' and accusing the signatories of lying about 'non-existent terror in Judea and Samaria.' She said: 'How dare these people say these lies and compare between terror that does not exist in Judea and Samaria and what happened on October 7, when they raped, massacred children, women and elderly — this is complete madness!' The reaction underscores the deep political divide in Israel over the characterization of violence by Jewish residents in Judea and Samaria.
The letter itself has been a flashpoint in Israeli public discourse, with some on the right viewing it as an attempt to delegitimize Jewish communities in the region. The Zioneer has previously reported on similar statements by former defense minister Moshe Ya'alon, who called an attack in Samaria 'friction and Jewish terrorism.'
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