The number of violent incidents committed by Jews against Palestinian residents of Judea and Samaria continues to drop sharply, according to data presented to the Israeli Cabinet, Arutz 7 reported on Sunday.
According to data gathered by Israeli authorities, compared to the same period last year, the past four months saw a decrease of almost 50% in such incidents.
Between Oct. 7, 2022 and Feb. 24, 2023, authorities recorded 489 incidents of nationalist crime committed by Jews in Judea and Samaria, including 26 attacks on Israeli security forces and 33 instances of agricultural vandalism.
Meanwhile, in the period from Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its war against the Jewish state, to Feb. 24, 2024, authorities registered only 256 such incidents.
The report presented to decision-makers in Jerusalem comes against the background of Israel Defense Forces and Israel Police data also showing that Jewish violence in Judea and Samaria has been decreasing. Earlier this year, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen called reports of growing “settler violence” a “blood libel” and “a lie disconnected from reality.”
Representatives of the IDF told members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee last week that “there is no such concept as settler violence” in Judea and Samaria.
“There is nationalistic crime, but we are talking about a few incidents...We have great respect for the residents of Judea and Samaria. They are our brothers, and it is our job to ensure their safety,” the senior IDF officials told lawmakers during a closed-door meeting.
The official emphasized however that while there have only been a handful of incidents, these attacks “must be denounced by everyone so that the few do not tarnish an entire population,” according to Arutz 7.
Judea and Samaria saw a dramatic rise in Palestinian terrorist attacks in 2023 compared to the previous year, with shootings reaching their highest level since the Second Intifada of 2000-05, per IDF data.
Between Oct. 7 and Jan. 15, Rescuers Without Borders first responders recorded more than 2,600 Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis in Judea and Samaria, including 760 cases of rock-throwing, 551 fire bombings, 12 attempted or successful stabbings and nine vehicular assaults.
