Yaakov Perry, who headed the agency during 1987-1993, told Israeli news paper Yedioth Ahronot that "We are heading downhill towards near-catastrophe. If nothing happens and we go on living by the sword, we will continue to wallow in the mud and destroy ourselves,"

Perry called for withdrawing from Gaza and dismantles illegal settlements, warning that otherwise Israel will remain under a constant threat of terror.

Ami Ayalon, who headed the agency from 1996 to 2000 called for the unilateral pull out of troops and settlers from Gaza Strip, saying that Israel is "taking sure, steady steps to a place where the state of Israel will no longer be a democracy and a home for the Jewish people,"

Ayalon is the author of the "People's Voice" unofficial peace plan together with Sari Nusseibeh, a leading Palestinian intellectual and president of Al-Quds University.

Avraham Shalom, who headed the agency from 1980 to 1986, accused the government of running policies that are "contrary to the desire for peace", saying "We must once and for all admit there is another side, that it has feelings, that it is suffering and that we are behaving disgracefully... this entire behavior is the result of the occupation,"

Carmi Gillon, whose term as Shin Bet head was cut short in 1996 when former PM Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated, accused the government with ignoring the question of how to get out of the current mess and with dealing solely with "the question of how to prevent the next terrorist attack,"

The four told Yedioth Ahronot that withdrawal from the West bank and the Gaza Strip should happen even if it entails an inevitable clash with settlers.

"There will always be some groups... for whom the Land of Israel nestles in the hills of Nablus and inside Hebron and we will have to clash with them," Perry said.

However, Ayalon said he expects that only 10 percent of the more than 220,000 settlers would resist an evacuation of settlements. "We have to be capable of facing such a number," he said.

Earlier, army chief of staff Moshe Ya'alon openly raised criticisms against the government policies in the territories, warning that keeping Palestinians under such living conditions will strengthen Hamas and will lead to more attacks against Israel.

A senior government source accused the approach of the four ex-Shin Bet heads as naïve, saying that "The situation is not as weak as they describe, we have made major achievements in our fight against terrorism... [but must try] every place where it is possible... to relieve pressure on the Palestinians, we will do it."

The openly stated positions of the four ex-Shin Bet heads is a slam on the face to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who based his government policy in the territories on security bases.

The four, not only described the policies as fruitless, but as well raised doubts about the Prime minister real intentions.

This move by the "four" is expected to add momentum to the opposition efforts to encounter Sharon's policies and is expected to add more weight to the Geneva Accords and People's Voice peace plan.

With such a stand from the side of four heads of the Shim Bet, it will be even harder for governmental officials to explain their policies to international leaders, especially U.S. officials.

Israeli Political commentators described the move as an out cry from the side of army and security against the extreme right wing policies of the current government.

In simple terms, senior army and security officials are saying that the government policy in the territories runs against the security needs of the state and only serve the interests of extreme right and settlers.

Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat praised the former Shin Bet leaders on Friday. "It reflects the realistic policy required from the Israeli side," he said.