Israel's Defense Minister Proposes Shifting Settler Violence Enforcement to Police
Translated & summarized from Channel 13 by baba
Defense Minister Israel Katz is pushing to transfer responsibility for handling Jewish settler violence in the West Bank from the IDF to the Israel Police. Katz stated that the police should handle prevention, investigation, and prosecution of such incidents, while the IDF focuses on counter-terrorism. He has agreed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to expedite the plan, which includes resource allocation to the police. The move comes amid ongoing clashes and criticism of the IDF's role in civilian enforcement.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Defense Minister Israel Katz wants the Israel Police to fully handle Jewish settler violence in the West Bank.
- Katz stated the IDF should focus on counter-terrorism, not civilian enforcement of settler violence.
- The plan involves transferring prevention, investigation, and prosecution of settler violence to the police.
- Katz agreed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to expedite the implementation of this plan.
- The move follows recent clashes and criticism of the IDF's current role in the West Bank.
- Police Commissioner Dani Levy emphasized the need for clear responsibilities in preventing and enforcing incidents.
Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Monday his plan to transfer responsibility for handling Jewish settler violence in the West Bank from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to the Israel Police. Katz stated that the "severe violence by a handful of Jewish rioters in Judea and Samaria must be entirely under the responsibility of the Israel Police's Judea and Samaria District, including preventative activity, investigation, and prosecution." He emphasized that the IDF "does not need and cannot deal with civilian enforcement" but should focus on combating Palestinian terrorism and defending the country's borders and settlements.
According to Katz's directive, the IDF has prepared a comprehensive plan to regulate civilian enforcement in the West Bank, delineating the IDF's authority from the police's actual civilian enforcement responsibilities. This plan does not include recommendations for reinstating administrative arrest warrants against settlers, a measure Katz canceled upon entering his role, stating that strong and effective police enforcement is the solution, not administrative orders.
Katz has agreed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to expedite the plan's implementation, which includes coordination between the IDF and the police, and allocating necessary resources in budgets and manpower to the police's Judea and Samaria District. A security official told Channel 13 that settler-Palestinian clashes are diverting forces, with an entire reserve battalion occupied with this issue instead of counter-terrorism. The official noted that soldiers trained for combat might become confused by their mission in the West Bank.
Earlier on Monday, a group of over ten Jewish rioters attacked Palestinian olive groves near Turmus Ayya, north of Ramallah, setting fire to a vehicle and part of a home before fleeing. Following a wave of arrests by police after weekend violence in the Benjamin region, Police Commissioner Dani Levy hinted at insufficient IDF activity, stating the need to distinguish between preventing incidents and investigating and enforcing them afterward, while vowing continued coordination and enforcement of the law.
Katz had previously set a two-week deadline for the IDF to submit a plan for this transfer of authority, reiterating his firm stance against violence and vigilantism, and stressing the need for the police to handle all civilian enforcement aspects in the West Bank through effective inter-organizational cooperation.
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