Key facts
- Israel plans to transfer civilian enforcement powers in the occupied West Bank from the army to the police.
- Defense Minister Israel Katz is spearheading the initiative.
- Critics, including Palestinian officials and human rights lawyers, view the move as a step towards annexation.
- The announcement comes amid ongoing settler activity and violence in the West Bank.
- The army would focus solely on security threats and border protection under the proposed plan.
Israel is preparing to shift civilian enforcement responsibilities for Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank from the army to the police, a move that critics are labeling as a significant step toward annexation. Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that he had ordered the military to draw up plans for the handover.
Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh condemned the plan as a "flagrant violation of international law" and a move that would "entrench the illegitimate annexation of Palestinian land." Leading Israeli human rights lawyer Michael Sfard suggested that such a transfer could constitute a major brick in the foundation of annexation, though he also noted that Israel could legally expand police powers within the current occupation framework.
The announcement was made as a settler siege in the Palestinian village of Qusra entered its sixth day, with the army reportedly unable or unwilling to remove the militants. The situation highlights ongoing tensions and violence in the West Bank, with a surge in attacks on Palestinians and the construction of new settlements.
US Ambassador Mike Huckabee described the Israelis besieging a Palestinian home as terrorists and stated he had requested the Israeli police and army to remove them. Data from Israeli rights group B’tselem indicates that since October 2023, Israel has forcibly displaced nearly 5,000 Palestinians from their communities.
Activists also reported an incident where Israeli gunmen opened fire at a group of unarmed Israeli and Palestinian activists attempting to reclaim Palestinian land, with a military Jeep present in the area reportedly not intervening.