Israel's Defense Minister Assigns Settler Violence to Police

Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Monday that the responsibility for handling violence perpetrated by a "handful of rioters" among settlers in the West Bank will rest solely with the Israel Police. Katz stated that the police, specifically the Judea and Samaria District, must be entirely accountable for preventing, investigating, and prosecuting such acts.

Katz clarified that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) should not and cannot be involved in civilian law enforcement. Instead, the IDF's role is to combat Palestinian terrorism and protect the country's borders and Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and along the seam line. In line with his directive, the IDF has developed a comprehensive plan to regulate civilian enforcement activities in the West Bank, distinguishing between IDF authority in the field and the transfer of actual civilian enforcement responsibility to the police.

The plan explicitly excludes recommendations for reinstating administrative arrest warrants against settlers. Katz, who canceled these warrants upon assuming his role as Defense Minister, stated they are not the solution, emphasizing the need for strong and effective police enforcement instead. He has agreed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to promptly implement this plan, which includes coordination between the IDF and the police, and allocating necessary resources in terms of budget and personnel to the police district.

This directive follows recent incidents where settlers allegedly attacked Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine, causing her to nearly lose a finger, and European diplomats from France, Belgium, and Poland during an olive harvest. The proposed police plan includes the establishment of "Brigade C," a dedicated force of approximately 800 officers and soldiers. While administratively subordinate to the Central Command's general, this unit would possess full civilian policing and investigative authority.