The Shin Bet's Jewish Department has changed its definition for terror attacks, according to a report by Roy Sharon on Kan News. Following the changes, which were made a while before David Zini took the helm at the organization, only an incident that had "a clear intent to kill" would be considered a terror attack.
Under the new definition, arson attacks on buildings or unoccupied vehicles will be classified as a “serious incident." While serious incidents are investigated by the Shin Bet, the change has implications for resource prioritization and the allocation of investigative manpower within the Jewish Division.
Violence in Judea and Samaria has been on the rise in recent months. Last week, a 26-year-old man from the “Manachem Farm" outpost, established near a Palestinian Arab village, was lightly injured after being attacked by five Palestinians while herding sheep.
Last month, the IDF Spokesperson published the Central Command’s annual report for the Judea and Samaria sector for 2025. The data indicate a dramatic decline of approximately 78% in the number of terror incidents compared with 2024. In addition, terror incidents involving firearms fell by about 86%. At the same time, there was an increase of more than 25% in preventive counterterrorism activity, which included roughly 3,500 arrests of wanted suspects, the seizure of more than 1,300 weapons, and the confiscation of NIS 17 million intended for terror activity.