While the US administration and senior Israeli officials speak of "a tiny handful of people taking the law into their own hands in Judea and Samaria," police figures indicate a dramatic drop in violations of the law committed by Israelis in Judea and Samaria.
US President Biden landed in Israel - and received a warm welcome from Herzog and Netanyahu// Reuters
Exclusive data obtained by Israel Hayom show that compared to the same period last year, there has been an overall decline of almost 50 percent in offenses attributed to Jews in Judea and Samaria.
According to data from the Judea and Samaria Police, between 7/10 and 7/11 there were 97 incidents of violations of the law of various kinds. This compares with 184 offences in the same period in 2022.
It should be noted that the decrease in the scope of incidents is measured on all counts: violent friction (20/53), popular terrorism (47/103), terrorist attacks (5/10), attacks on security forces (4/10), and agricultural vandalism (97/184). In the "serious attacks" category, which is usually of concern to the US government, there were zero incidents in the 30 days measured, compared with 3 incidents in the same period last year.
Confrontation between settlers and Palestinians (archive), photo: Getty-Images
These figures contradict claims by the US administration that there is an alleged increase in incidents of "extremist settler violence" in Judea and Samaria.
The U.S. vs. the "Extremists"
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with President Isaac Herzog on Tuesday and told him that "violent extremist settlers must be held accountable." Biden himself said similar things to Prime Minister Netanyahu in conversations the two hold frequently.
Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the issue at a small cabinet meeting with the heads of settlements in Judea and Samaria on Wednesday. Netanyahu said, "There is a tiny handful of people who do not represent this public, who take the law into their own hands. We are not willing to tolerate it, we are not willing to accept it, we will act against it in every way. It causes serious international damage to the State of Israel and it does not represent the public here."
The Chief of Staff together with the head of the Shin Bet, the commander of the Central Command and the commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, photo: IDF Spokesperson
However, the discussion did not present data on the phenomenon, insofar as it exists. The IDF told Israel Hayom that it does not detect an increase in incidents of violations of the law attributed to Israelis, and that the number of incidents is similar to that of last year and last month. However, the army claims that those few incidents are of a more extreme nature. The Shin Bet did not respond to Israel Hayom's request for comment.
It should be noted that in a previous meeting of the expanded cabinet, security officials raised claims about violent incidents by Israelis in Judea and Samaria. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir spoke out against the remarks, saying that these were marginal incidents and that even in the reported cases, they were often self-defense incidents by Israelis who responded to attacks by Palestinians.
Yesterday, Ben-Gvir prevented an attempt by Defense Minister Yoav Galant to reprimand Judea and Samaria Police District Commander Uzi Levy on the grounds that he was not dealing with the phenomenon. Those close to him say that he gives full backing to the police commissioner and police officers in the Judea and Samaria District, whose main task these days is to provide security to Israeli citizens living in the area. A source close to Ben-Gvir told Israel Hayom that "the data prove that whoever claims 'settler violence' doesn't know what they're talking about."
Ben Gvir in front of Galant, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
The heads of the settlements in Judea and Samaria also rejected the Americans' claims on the matter. Binyamin Council Chairman Yisrael Gantz: "Our communities in Binyamin, Judea and Samaria are empty of men because they are all at the forefront in Gaza and in the north. Don't hurt them and their families. Don't try to tarnish this dear public."
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