Katz touts bid to legalize illegal outposts

Katz: IDF has 2 weeks to draft plan to hand West Bank civilian enforcement to police

Defense minister’s plan, seemingly aimed at washing military’s hands of settler violence, comes amid surge in incidents, siege on Palestinians in Qusra

Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that he had instructed the Israel Defense Forces to submit within two weeks a plan to “transfer responsibility for civilian enforcement in the West Bank to the Israel Police,” a move widely seen as impractical in the lead-up to a national election.

According to statement from Katz’s office, during a meeting with top military and defense officials Sunday night, he said he “expressed an unequivocal position against violence and the taking of the law into their own hands by unauthorized parties,” apparently alluding to recent attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

He also “stressed the need for enforcement in all civilian aspects in the West Bank to be handled by the Israel Police through effective and efficient inter-organizational cooperation,” the statement said.

“It was agreed that the IDF would submit a comprehensive plan on the matter within two weeks, which would subsequently be coordinated with the Israel Police and subject to the IDF’s authorities in the field,” it added.

Katz said Friday that he had instructed the IDF to formulate a plan to transfer civilian enforcement powers in the West Bank from the military to the police.

It was unclear what impact such a measure would have on the ground. Israel has never formally annexed the West Bank, and therefore, the IDF has been responsible for enforcement in the area. In addition, the IDF already hands any suspects detained in the West Bank over to the police for interrogation or arrest.

Katz seemed to be implying he wanted police to be fully in charge of handling settlers and for the military to wash its hands of the issue.

The IDF detains Jews only briefly in cases of criminal activity before handing them over to police officers, who often release the suspects without charge, including in cases of rampant and sometimes deadly settler violence.

On Monday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees the police, endorsed Katz’s proposal, calling it “a significant step toward Israeli sovereignty” in the West Bank.

He added that authority over Border Police in the West Bank should also be moved from the IDF to the police, so they could be used against “anarchists” and “anti-Zionist movements opposed to the State of Israel” — echoing language often used to refer to left-wing activists from Israel or abroad who volunteer with Palestinians in the West Bank.

Katz’s announcement came amid a surge in settler violence and a siege by violent settlers on Palestinian residents of the village of Qusra that has lasted over a week.

Additionally, Katz said on Wednesday he would be advancing the legalization of outpost farms in the West Bank, which are technically illegal under Israeli law but were established with full government backing. There are currently 126 settlement farms.

According to Katz, IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth supports the legalization of the farms, “based on advance planning and subject to security approval, in a manner that would contribute to security in the area.”

Activists on the ground have said those behind attacks on Palestinians are Israelis who have established the illegal outposts throughout the West Bank in record numbers over the past three years. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has provided significant funding and protection to these wildcat communities, which critics say are being used as a tool to dispossess Palestinians of their lands.

Katz also said Monday that the IDF must prepare to “seize and clear another” Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank — similar to operations carried out by the army in early 2025 — but only if terrorism increases there, after previously instructing the army to carry out such a move regardless.