Defense Minister Katz Orders IDF to Hand Civilian Enforcement Over Settlers to Israel Police Within Two Weeks

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Monday afternoon, August 17, 2026, that he has instructed the IDF to prepare, within two weeks, a plan to transfer all civilian law-enforcement authority over Israeli communities and residents in the West Bank from the military to the Israel Police. The move follows days of criticism over the army's failure to rein in settler extremists who besieged Palestinian homes in Qusra and Beit Imrin, dismantling fences and blocking roads. Katz said, 'We will not allow violence or unauthorized parties to take the law into their own hands,' and argued the army's role is 'to combat Palestinian terrorism … and not chase hilltop youth.' National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir welcomed the announcement as 'a significant step toward Israeli sovereignty' and demanded the IDF fully cede West Bank civilian authority to police. Palestinian officials and rights experts condemned the shift as a flagrant violation of international law and a structural step toward de facto annexation, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing.