Speaking during a visit on Monday to Palestinian villages in the West Bank alongside former senior Israeli officials including Matan Vilnai and Amram Mitzna, Pardo said the conditions he witnessed reminded him of historic persecution faced by Jews in Europe and left him feeling “ashamed to be Jewish,” according to remarks carried by Israel’s Channel 13.

Pardo said Israeli authorities were fully aware of settler attacks on Palestinian residents but had chosen not to intervene, describing the trend as a moral and strategic danger for the country.

He warned that confronting radical settlers, some of whom he said were armed and enjoyed political backing, could trigger internal instability and deepen divisions inside Israel.Pardo specifically pointed to the influence of far-right cabinet ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, both of whom have supported stronger Israeli control over the West Bank and expansion of settlements.

Violence across the occupied territory has intensified in recent months, with Palestinian communities reporting repeated attacks, destruction of homes and farmland, and forced displacement.The United Nations considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law and has repeatedly called for a halt to settlement expansion, a position Israel disputes.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said annexation of parts of the West Bank was not currently being pursued, citing opposition from U.S. President Donald Trump.However, Saar said Israel remained opposed to the establishment of a Palestinian state and would continue to strengthen its presence in the territory, a position that has further strained relations with the European Union and drawn criticism from rights groups and international partners.

The West Bank, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, remains one of the central flashpoints in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with rising tensions fueling fears of broader regional instability.

Ben-Gvir, a far-right member of Israel’s government, said during the visit that he was pushing for increased Jewish prayer rights at the compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and revered by Muslims as Islam’s third-holiest site.

“Today, I feel like the owner here,” he said in a video released by his office, adding that more changes were needed and urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take further steps.

The compound, located in Jerusalem’s Old City, is administered by a Jordanian religious authority under a decades-old status quo arrangement that permits Jewish visits but prohibits prayer at the site.

Jordan’s foreign ministry said Ben-Gvir’s visit constituted “a desecration of its sanctity, a condemnable escalation and an unacceptable provocation,” warning that it breached the established status quo.

Ben-Gvir’s spokesman said the minister had sought broader access and prayer permits for Jewish visitors and confirmed that he had prayed during the visit.There was no immediate response from Netanyahu’s office.

In previous instances, similar visits by Ben-Gvir have been followed by statements from Israeli authorities reaffirming that there is no change to the status quo.

The compound has long been a focal point of tensions in the region, with past disputes over access and prayer rights triggering unrest.

Religious sites in Jerusalem, including Al-Aqsa, had been largely closed to the public during the ongoing regional conflict.

No immediate signs of unrest were reported following Sunday’s visit.