Jewish terrorism against Palestinians is being normalised at the highest levels of Israel’s internal security service, according to Haaretz, which reports that Shin Bet chief David Zini dismisses settler attacks as mere “friction”.
Shin Bet’s Jewish Division is said to be in deep crisis, a situation that has worsened since Zini took office. Sources told Haaretz that Zini does not refer to attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank as “Jewish terror” but instead calls them “cases of friction” between Jews and Palestinians.
Zini has deprioritised the division responsible for tackling right-wing Jewish extremism, despite internal 2026 data showing that, for the first time, there were more Jewish than Palestinian terror incidents.
READ: US Jewish organisations slam ‘pogroms’ and ‘terrorism’ by Israeli settlers
Haaretz said frustration has grown within the division over the rise in settler violence, changes in leadership, reduced resources and an organisational shift away from confronting Jewish extremism. Senior officials reportedly warned colleagues that politicisation is reaching the Shin Bet.
Several sources reported that experienced staff have left the division, senior members have sought transfers and other Shin Bet personnel are increasingly reluctant to join the unit. One former senior official said there is currently no real understanding inside the agency that Jewish terror in the West Bank could trigger a wider uprising.
Deep frustration is growing within the Shin Bet over the lack of meaningful cooperation from both the police and the Israeli army. Sources said staff feel their hands are tied because the army often fails to act against settler shootings, killings and attacks on Palestinians. A former senior official said the current frustration inside the Jewish Division is greater than ever.
The crisis appears to have worsened after the departure of the previous head of the Jewish Division, following political fallout over leaked conversations about arrests of right-wing activists.
Some sources told Haaretz that, since then, and especially since Zini took office, there has been a “loss of control”, reflected in rising terror incidents, Palestinian deaths and damage to Palestinian property.
READ: Illegal settler violence against Palestinians in occupied West Bank rises by 25% in 2025: Report
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