Netanyahu is an 'existential threat' to Israel, former defence officials warn

Top Israeli defence and security former officials have written a damning letter in which they called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an "existential threat" to Israel and warned that his approach to the Gaza war is harming US interests.

More than 30 Israeli establishment figures, including former military and intelligence chiefs, government ministers, academics and business executives, said they had "grave concerns" that Netanyahu’s visit to the United States could damage joint objectives, according to a recently disclosed letter.

The letter, dated Tuesday and aired in Israeli media, was addressed to US congressional leaders House Speaker Mike Johnson, Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, majority leader Chuck Schumer and minority leader Mitch McConnell.

The Israeli officials said that Netanyahu was prioritising his own "political survivability over our shared interests" and said that Congress would be hosting a leader "without a mandate".

The letter came as Netanyahu was due to address Congress in Washington on Wednesday and meet with President Joe Biden on Thursday to shore up support for Israel's indiscriminate war on Gaza offensive and score political points at home.

Among the letter's signatories was ex-Mossad director Tamir Pardo, who had previously said Israel was imposing an apartheid system on Palestinians, and former military chiefs of staff Moshe Ya’alon and Dan Haloutz, who had said in January that Israel was losing the war against Hamas.

The damning letter reflected major splits within Israeli society over Netanyahu’s war conduct and the actions of his coalition government, which includes far-right and ultra-conservative parties.

"He remains unwilling to conceptualise a post-war plan, and continues destabilising the national security of both Israel and the US," the letter read.

"He bears responsibility for the war due to his failed risk assessment of the Gaza border by relocating needed forces in support of his messianic political partners’ demands, and his longtime reckless support of building up Hamas to counter the Palestinian Authority."

They said that Washington is hosting a leader who is facing prosecution for "major crimes", referring to the ongoing trials for bribery, fraud and breach of trust that Netanyahu has been attempting to evade since 2019.

It went on to say that Netanyahu’s war leadership was threatening the stability of Israel as well as the US’s national security.

For months, Netanyahu has been facing calls to step down with the Israeli public losing faith in his ability to ensure the safe return of captives and over the military failures of Hamas-led 7 October attacks on southern Israel.

The letter follows an op-ed piece published in the New York Times on June 26 by Pardo and four other notable Israelis, who called on Congress to disinvite their prime minister over fears it would reward his "scandalous and destructive conduct toward our country".

Support for Israel's offensive in Gaza has slowly decreased over the course of the nine-month war as its forces had failed to achieve their objectives of taking out senior Hamas leadership or returning the 120 captives still held by Palestinian armed groups.