Extremist Jewish groups 'tarnishing the entire State of Israel,’ alienating friends, warns Israeli US envoy Leiter

Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, voiced frustration over recent violence in Judea and Samaria, where groups of extremist Jewish settlers have carried out attacks on Palestinian villages.

Leiter is intimately acquainted with the settler movement in Israel. He immigrated to Israel in 1978 and moved to the settlement of Kiryat Arba, near Hebron. Throughout his political career in Israel, he has been an ally of the settler movement, believing the return of the Jewish people to their biblical heartland is significant.

He has also criticized the Oslo Accords for paving the way toward the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in the territory.

However, Leiter recently spoke with Ynet News about the near-daily incidents of Jewish settler violence, saying he was deeply troubled to see the reports. 

“We are losing friends,” Leiter told Ynet. “There are people in Washington who are definitely distancing themselves from Israel because of this. We should not be providing ammunition to Democrats who are fighting to continue supporting us within their party. It’s as if those who want to support us – we ourselves are pushing them away.” 

The surge in violence has paralleled the Oct. 7 Gaza War, and seen another increase with the start of Operation Roaring Lion on Feb. 28, leading IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir to warn that it could detract from Israel’s current focus on the conflict in Iran and Lebanon. 

“It cannot be that during a multi-front war, the IDF is forced to contend with a threatening minority from within,” Zamir said last week. “These are rioters who do not represent the settlement movement. On the contrary, they endanger the settlement enterprise, security stability, and our values as a people and as a state.” 

Leiter echoed Zamir’s concerns, telling Ynet that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is aware of the problem and has already held several meetings, demanding comprehensive action. 

“Last Friday, the prime minister met with Central Command – the fact that in the middle of a war, he comes to Central Command to discuss this shows he takes it very seriously,” the ambassador said. 

However, as someone who lives in the settler community and supports the goal of restoring a Jewish presence to the heartland, Leiter expressed dismay that leaders in the community have not taken a public stand. 

“Where are the rabbis of Yesha [Hebrew for Yehuda V’Shomron - Judea & Samaria] and the leaders of the Yesha councils? Where is the Yesha Council?” Leiter asked. 

He said those carrying out the attacks “are not only tarnishing the settlement enterprise – they are tarnishing the entire State of Israel. They are feeding the narrative of violent occupiers, and we must not remain silent.” 

While the attacks are carried out by “a small minority,” Leiter said, “the vast majority must speak out against this phenomenon.”

Leiter believes the government is taking steps to curb the problem.  

“We are going to take control of this issue and are treating it very seriously," he said. "I believe the government is mobilizing to do what is necessary. They understand the severity of the situation. I heard Shin Bet chief Zini speaking about it, and he will address it with full force.” 

On Monday, the IDF announced that it was diverting units from the fighting in Lebanon to deal with the rise in settler violence in Judea and Samaria (West Bank), after IDF Central Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth assessed that he did not have sufficient forces to handle the increasing vigilante violence. 

On Tuesday, the government approved the establishment of a new unit in the Defense Ministry to address the "Hilltop Youth" movement, which has been linked to many of the violent incidents. Israeli media reported that the unit will operate as a directorate under the ministry’s Social Security Division.

The new military unit will be tasked with formulating and implementing a national program, with an annual budget of tens of millions of shekels per year, to reduce risk situations, strengthen personal and community resilience and direct youth in Judea and Samaria toward value-based and social activity, according to Ynet.

After pressure from Washington to take action on the issue, the government will approve the establishment of a unit in the Ministry of Defense to deal with the hilltop youth, with a budget of 130 million shekels for the next three years.

— Amit Segal (@AmitSegal) March 24, 2026

Bluth also convened a meeting with the heads of local authorities from Judea and Samaria, together with top IDF and police brass in the region on Tuesday.

He praised the cooperation between local authorities and the IDF, and the involvement of the local leaders in preventing nationalist crime incidents.

“The close cooperation with you – the heads of the regional councils – is a central component in the ability to maintain the security of the residents,” he stated. “Across all layers that characterize this period, including joint actions to strengthen civilian resilience, civil discipline, and complementary actions to law enforcement and order in the sector. In this campaign, there are no shortcuts; we are doing this together: coordination and initiative are the key.”

Last week, Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth sent a letter to political leaders, settler figures and public influencers condemning violence by what he described as a group of lawbreakers operating in Judea and Samaria "without restraint" and in violation of the law, contrary to "IDF values and the values of the Jewish people."

He warned that such organized and systematic violence threatens the rule of law, harms the IDF’s mission and undermines Israel’s security.

“I call upon you – state leaders, rabbis, educators, and opinion leaders – to come to your senses. Do not remain silent. Do not stand aside. Do not allow. Do not cooperate. Do not continue to turn a blind eye after the warning signs have already appeared in the name of ideology.” 

Leiter said he agrees with Bluth’s remarks that “there needs to be a much stronger moral statement from the leadership of Yesha.”

He also rejected claims that U.S. officials had expressed concern about the incidents, including a report in Israel Hayom that Vice President JD Vance had chastised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a recent call – an account later denied by Vance’s press secretary.