Israel orders military to hand West Bank security over to civilian police

On Friday, Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the Israeli military to devise a plan that would shift civilian policing responsibilities in the occupied West Bank to the Israeli police, arguing the army should focus on combating terrorism rather than confronting settler youth. The proposal follows criticism of the army’s response to a siege of a Palestinian home in Qusra. Palestinian officials, including Mustafa Barghouti and Hussein al-Sheikh, as well as Hamas, condemned the decision as an illegal move toward annexation, apartheid and ethnic cleansing, accusing right-wing ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich of handing the territory to settlers.

Analysts such as Mohanad Mustafa and Nihad Abu Ghosh said the transfer would replace occupation law with domestic law, effectively nullifying the West Bank’s legal status and empowering settler militias. International observers, including former UN official Andrew Whitley, called the plan unlawful and urged sanctions, while some view U.S. statements as superficial. The shift is seen as accelerating a broader strategy to integrate the West Bank into Israel.