At the heart of Judea and Samaria sits the Binyamin region, given as inheritance to Benjamin, youngest of Jacob’s twelve sons. Ancient Shiloh lies within its borders – Israel’s spiritual home for centuries before that role passed to Jerusalem, making Shiloh effectively the nation’s first capital.
Today, the Binyamin Regional Council covers a substantial swath of the mountainous terrain north of Jerusalem, including dozens of communities in the heart of Judea and Samaria. Its population engages in daily life against the backdrop of ongoing security operations, and the council has invested significantly in civilian-military coordination in recent years.
Updated national crime data published by the Israel Police places the Binyamin Regional Council well below the country’s average crime rate, ranking it as one of the most secure civilian areas in Israel. The figures arrive as international media and human rights organizations continue to characterize Judea and Samaria as a region defined by widespread ‘settler’ violence — a portrayal the data directly challenges.
According to the statistics, the Binyamin Council recorded approximately 10 crime filings per 1,000 residents. The national average stands at roughly 25, meaning the council’s rate is less than half that of the broader country. With a total of 867 crime files logged across the jurisdiction, both the volume and the composition of offenses point to a community operating with a high degree of personal security.
The offense profile is as significant as the headline rate. Public order and property offenses together account for more than half the total, while violent crime makes up around 16 percent and more serious categories appear at marginal levels. These figures reflect the daily reality of a community dealing with routine security challenges, not the pattern of endemic violence that critics have sought to attach to the region.
The gap between an engineered perception and official record is not a minor statistical footnote. When international audiences encounter coverage of Judea and Samaria that strips out attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers, they receive a distorted picture of who is perpetrating violence and against whom. The Binyamin figures, sourced from Israel’s own national law enforcement database, offer a corrective grounded in verifiable government data.
The narrative and the record
A recent incident near Ofra that circulated internationally under the label ‘settler violence’ illustrates the pattern. What took place was an attack by dozens of Arabs who threw stones at a Jewish shepherd before turning on an IDF force called to the scene. Soldiers facing an immediate threat to their lives opened fire on one of the attackers, who later died of his wounds. The incident was widely mischaracterized in foreign coverage before the full sequence of events was established by Israeli security officials.
Binyamin Council head responds
Yisrael Ganz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council, commented on the updated crime statistics: “We are very proud of these figures. They are not just numbers — they are the outcome of a deliberate approach. In recent years, we built a clear model in Binyamin: a strong community, sustained ground presence, and close coordination with security forces. While the public debate sometimes presents a different picture of what is happening in this region, the official data tells a clear story. We are proud of the result, and committed to continuing to strengthen it.”
For policymakers, journalists, and international observers who rely on data rather than narrative, the Israel Police statistics represent the primary source of record. They tell a story that much of the coverage has so far declined to report.
Crime rate figures are drawn from the Israel Police national crime statistics database. Incident details reflect official IDF and Israel Police accounts. C14 Global is the international division of Channel 14, Israel’s leading licensed broadcast media organization.