Israeli Police Chief Warns Settler Violence Tarnishing Nation's Image

Israel's Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Dani Levy, has expressed grave concern over the escalating damage caused by settler violence in Judea and Samaria to the country's international reputation. Speaking at a closed-door meeting on September 1, Levy stated, "Americans are fed up. The world already perceives us as hooligans." He characterized the perpetrators as a small group solely focused on attacking Palestinians, emphasizing that their actions create a global image of Israel as a nation of "hooligans and criminals."

Levy also addressed Defense Minister Israel Katz's proposal to transfer civilian enforcement responsibilities in Judea and Samaria from the IDF to the police. Levy asserted that the IDF should remain responsible for the area and has ordered a halt to meetings between senior police and military officials regarding the handover.

The police chief's remarks came amid a recent attack where settlers allegedly set fire to a mosque and scrawled offensive graffiti on its walls in the village of Bazaria, northwest of Nablus, on the night of September 1. The suspects fled before security forces arrived. The graffiti included a warning and messages directed at U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Channel 11 reporter Roi Sharon.

The IDF condemned the attack, noting that such incidents harm regional residents, undermine security, and divert forces from counter-terrorism and protection duties. Ambassador Huckabee also reacted, calling it regrettable that anyone would identify with terrorists and stressing that a small group damaging the reputation of the vast majority of law-abiding Israelis does not represent the Jewish people or Israel.

Recent data from the UN, reported by The New York Times, indicates that since the October 7th attacks, settlers have carried out thousands of assaults in Judea and Samaria, injuring thousands of Palestinians. Over 3,200 Palestinians have been displaced due to settler violence this year, a doubling from the previous year. The UN data shows a significant increase in daily Palestinian casualties from settler attacks, rising from an average of one every three days in 2020 to over three per day in 2026. The New York Times also reported that over 1,100 Palestinians, including militants, have been killed in Judea and Samaria since October 7th, with the majority killed by Israeli forces, a figure comparable to the total number of Palestinians killed in the territory between 2005 and 2022. In contrast, 67 Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians in Judea and Samaria since 2023.

Levy is not the first high-ranking official to speak out against settler violence. A growing number of former Israeli generals, security officials, and senior civil servants have publicly condemned the actions of radical settlers in Judea and Samaria, as highlighted in a comprehensive report by The New York Times published on August 31, 2026.