Top IDF Officer Calls Settler Violence 'Jewish Terror,' Warns of Palestinian Uprising — 59 West Bank Communities Fully Depopulated in 2026

Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, head of the IDF's Central Command responsible for the West Bank, issued an extraordinary public warning on May 1, 2026, calling escalating Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians 'Jewish terror' and warning that systematic violence and government inaction were pushing the West Bank toward a full-scale 'Palestinian uprising.' Bluth's statement, reported by Haaretz, was the most explicit warning from a sitting senior IDF commander about the existential threat settler violence poses to Israeli security. Key context from the warning: over 1,500 Palestinians were displaced in the first ten weeks of 2026 alone; 59 West Bank communities have been entirely depopulated by settler attacks — a number unprecedented in the post-Oslo era; 8 Palestinians were killed by settlers in this period; and more than 70% of displaced households reported threats involving sexualized violence as the decisive factor in fleeing their homes. Bluth's warning follows similar statements from former Mossad Chief and Army Central Command veterans earlier in April. The Central Command chief framed settler violence not merely as a human rights issue but as a strategic threat to the IDF's ability to operate in the West Bank without triggering a third intifada. Finance Minister Smotrich and National Security Minister Ben-Gvir — whose political bases include the settler movement — have not responded to Bluth's warning. B'Tselem reported that settler violence in 2026 is on pace to set a new annual record, with only 2–3% of cases resulting in prosecution.