Police Investigations into Jewish Nationalist Crime Drop Despite Rise in Palestinian Complaints

The number of police investigations into incidents of Jewish nationalist crime and terrorism in the West Bank has declined sharply, even as the number of complaints filed by Palestinians has increased since the beginning of 2025, according to new data released.

Between January and June 2025, Palestinians filed 427 complaints related to nationalist crimes in the West Bank, compared to 680 complaints filed throughout 2024. Yet, police opened only 144 criminal investigations in the same period — representing just 33 percent of the complaints received. Last year, 308 investigations were opened, accounting for about 45 percent of all reported cases.

Most of the cases involved property damage, assault, arson with nationalist motives, and stone-throwing. Meanwhile, the number of Jewish detainees suspected of nationalist offenses rose slightly — from 71 in 2024 to 44 arrests in the first half of 2025.

Leadership Vacancies and Allegations of Political Pressure

The Shai District’s Central Unit, responsible for investigating Jewish terrorism and nationalist offenses, has been operating without a permanent commander for nearly a year. Its previous head, Lt. Col. Avishai Mualem, was dismissed after being investigated on suspicion of ignoring intelligence on right-wing extremist activity and deliberately avoiding arrests to curry favor with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Mualem is suspected of bribery, fraud, breach of trust, and abuse of authority. During his tenure, he claimed that Jewish terror incidents were in decline — contradicting assessments by the Shin Bet’s Jewish Division, which reported an increase in attacks. His replacement, Maj. Gen. Moshe Pinchi, a former security aide to Ben-Gvir, is now leading the district.

Freedom of Information Movement: “Moral Failure in the Police”

Attorney Heidi Negev, Director General of the Freedom of Information Movement, said the data exposes the police’s growing inability to confront nationalist crime.

“The increase in complaints, alongside the small number of indictments, illustrates the police’s unwillingness to fight Jewish terrorism under Minister Ben-Gvir,” Negev said. “Beyond professional failure, this points to a deeper moral collapse within the police.”

Violence Rising During Harvest Season

With the onset of the olive harvest season, incidents of settler violence have spiked across the West Bank. Attacks that were once concentrated in Area C have now spread into Area B, where the Palestinian Authority holds civil control but the IDF maintains security oversight.

On Saturday night, more than 20 masked settlers reportedly attacked Palestinians and human rights activists in the Bedouin community of Muhammas, southeast of Ramallah — some reportedly opened fire. The previous night, settlers set vehicles ablaze near homes in Al-Muayyir, also near Ramallah.

Police Response

In response, the Israel Police rejected claims of inaction, stating that “contrary to the distortion presented, there was a 14 percent increase in the number of investigation files opened.”

The statement added that there was a 16 percent rise in arrests and a 143 percent increase in indictments compared to last year. “The data reflect an uncompromising policy of enforcing the law against suspects involved in violent extremist acts,” police said.

However, the figures cited by police do not align with their own official data provided under the Freedom of Information request.