Security agencies said to push new plan to counter rising settler violence in West Bank

Israel’s security establishment has drafted a series of new recommendations aimed at curbing Jewish nationalist crime and settler violence in the West Bank, following a sharp rise in serious incidents over the past year, according to a Channel 12 news report.

According to the TV network, the IDF, Shin Bet and Israel Police have jointly outlined measures including the creation of a special investigative team for severe cases of “Jewish terrorism,” expanded military and police deployment in Palestinian villages within friction zones, and the establishment of 14 reinforced security hubs in areas identified as violence hotspots.

The plan also calls for broadening surveillance networks, installing additional cameras, and increasing enforcement tools against offenders, such as property seizures, fines and revocation of gun licenses.

Channel 12 says that Israeli security bodies recorded 752 incidents of nationalist crime and Jewish extremist violence in the past year, 99 of them classified as severe.

A year ago, Defense Minister Israel Katz declared the end of the use of administrative detention against extremist settlers.

The recently appointed Shin Bet chief, David Zini, has reportedly warned in internal discussions that the phenomenon must be confronted “with full force” and through close cooperation among all agencies.

Some recommendations still require approval from the political echelon and are expected to be presented to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the coming days.