Herzog says Israel needs bigger police force to stop violent crime, settler attacks

Israel needs a larger and stronger police force to tackle the country’s challenges, said President Isaac Herzog in an interview this week, lamenting the surge in homicides within the Arab community and the daily attacks by settler extremists against Palestinians in the West Bank. In a pre-recorded interview, aired on Monday at a conference for the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Herzog said: “Our police force, which is doing the best it can, but this country is a little bit beyond their capacity. We need a stronger police force — and a much larger one, because there are so many challenges here.” “Crime in Arab society is a disaster,” he said. “We’re talking about a huge number of citizens — more than 1.3 million people living under terror, day and night.” The homicide rate in Arab society doubled in 2023 and has continued to rise since then. So far, 174 Arab Israelis have been killed in violent criminal circumstances since the start of 2026, after an all-time high of 252 Arab-sector homicide victims in 2025. The massive uptick, which coincided with the start of far-right Itamar Ben Gvir’s term as national security minister, has alarmed Arab community leaders, many of whom attribute the sharp rise to ineffectiveness — if not outright negligence — of law enforcement. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms Herzog also decried violence by ultra-Orthodox men protesting the arrest of draft-dodgers, calling recent disorder at a demonstration in Modiin “intolerable.” But “the thing that most disturbs me, and keeps me up at night, is the violence we’re seeing in Judea and Samaria,” the president said, using Biblical terminology to refer to the West Bank, and speaking about attacks by settler extremists against Palestinians in the territory. “It’s an enormous stain on the face of the state, a moral stain,” he continued. Advertisement Palestinians inspect the damage after extremist Jewish settlers allegedly set fire to four vehicles and sprayed Hebrew graffiti on the walls of homes in the Palestinian village of Aqraba, south of Nablus in the West Bank, October 6, 2026. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90) “I get this everywhere in the world, they say to me: ‘What happened to you all? You don’t know how to restrain groups of rioters?’ These are groups of rioters, they don’t reflect anything about settlement itself or its values. On the other hand, they’re getting legitimacy from silence,” he said. The president recalled a recent meeting with Israel Defense Forces commanders in the West Bank, saying they communicated “deep frustration. They’re in very complicated situations.” He recounted a commander telling him: “‘I don’t know if someone who speeds by in a car at night is a Palestinian who came to hurt a Jew or a Jew who came to make a provocation.’” President Isaac Herzog on a visit to the IDF Judea and Samaria Division headquarters in the West Bank, on September 30, 2026. (Shalev Shalom) The president stressed that “ the incident in Jalud was dangerous,” referring to a riot of some hundred settlers in a Palestinian village late last month, sparked by the army’s attempt to return a family to their home after they’d been expelled amid similar attacks. “And this wasn’t an isolated incident. We’re talking about stones being thrown at commanders,” he said. Herzog called on all the relevant officials to “gather in a room, build a significant plan and activate all the power of the state, including clear directives from the political echelon.” Advertisement Asked whether Israel should return to using administrative detention – a tool that allows for indefinite arrest of terror suspects without criminal charges – against Jews, the president said: “I think we have to examine that option. Certainly, there are cases where one must know to use this tool. If there’s no choice, there’s no choice.” “We can’t continue to allow this phenomenon. It’s undermining the State of Israel, it’s destroying all our goodwill in the world,” he stressed. Leon Kraiem contributed to this report. Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos. This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world. If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism , please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting. — Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist Support our work Support our work Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You're a dedicated reader We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE , as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members. Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel Join Our Community Join Our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this Most Popular 1 Flydubai passengers said preparing huge class-action suit against airline, governments 2 Transcript reportedly captures PM’s top aide asking stenographer to falsify Oct. 7 records 3 At least 12 killed, more than 300 hurt in Houthi attack on Riyadh airport 4 Iran said still able to produce missiles and drones, is being armed by Russia 5 Joint Arab List says it’s willing to provide safety net for any anti-Netanyahu coalition 6 Ex-AG admits he didn’t approve all police action in criminal probe of Netanyahu or review full indictment 7 One in five Israelis ‘still struggling to function’ since Oct. 7 – new study 8 Biden-era official says Netanyahu delayed Gaza deal in 2024 by adding conditions read more: Israel Inside Isaac Herzog Israel Police IDF Israel Defense Forces settler violence West Bank violent crime in Israel Arab Israelis If you’d like to comment, join The Times of Israel Community. JOIN THE TOI COMMUNITY Already a member? Log in here close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register Paying ToI Community members are invited to comment on articles Email address * Please use the following structure: [email protected] Continue Or Continue with By joining you agree to the terms and conditions Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition back close popup Register to continue Email address * Change REGISTER Or Continue with back close popup Log in to continue Email address * Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.. Continue back close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register You are currently registered. Please join The Times of Israel Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits Only ToI Community members can comment below articles Email address * Password * Incorrect password. Please try again or choose an option below. Forgot your password? / Send me a login link Continue Sign in without joining Or Continue with close popup Check your email We sent an email to you at . It has a link that will sign you in. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. back close popup Join The Times of Israel Community Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits. Email address * Please use the following structure: [email protected] JOIN NOW! close popup Thank you! Now check your email You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.