Dozens of former Israeli security officials have called on the country’s hard-right government to not annex the occupied West Bank, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted he might do before next month’s repeat election.

In a letter sent to the government on Tuesday, 25 former senior defense figures said that the move would endanger Israel’s security, rather than bolster it.

“Any unilateral annexation of territory or extension of sovereignty to the West Bank will put Israel’s security and safety along with the well-being of its citizens at risk,” the letter said.

The signers of the letter included former leaders of the Mossad spy agency, the Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security service and three former advisers to Mr Netanyahu.