Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has ordered the army to prepare a plan to transfer law-enforcement powers over illegal Israeli settlers in the West Bank to police under far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who hailed the move as a step toward "Israeli sovereignty" over the occupied territory.
The decision comes amid growing international outrage over the Israeli army’s practice of protecting armed occupiers while the latter attack Palestinians.
At a meeting with top military and defense officials, Katz said it was agreed that the army would submit a comprehensive plan on the matter within two weeks.
The plan, he said, would subsequently be coordinated with the Israeli police and military authorities in the field, the Times of Israel reported.
"Katz says he will 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,” the news outlet said.
On Friday, Katz instructed the army to prepare a plan to transfer law-enforcement powers over West Bank settlers to the Israeli police, who operate under extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Katz’s office said a special police force would be drawn up for the task and granted the necessary powers and budget.
Ben-Gvir has welcomed Katz’s call, describing the proposed transfer of powers as "a significant step toward Israeli sovereignty” in the occupied West Bank in a post on the X social-media platform.
Ben-Gvir further demanded that responsibility for the Border Guard in the occupied West Bank be transferred from the army to the police, saying the move was included in a coalition agreement but had not yet been implemented.
The coalition agreement between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and Ben-Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party - struck to form the current Israeli government - includes the expansion of Ben-Gvir’s powers over both the police and Border Police.
Ben-Gvir has also called for more authority related to administrative detention, and for administrative restrictions to be transferred from the defense ministry and the army to the national security ministry and police.
The Border Guard, also known as the Israel Border Police, operates in the occupied West Bank.
While it has traditionally been run by the Israeli army, Ben-Gvir demands that it be placed under the Israel Police, which falls under his ministry.
Last week, the U.N. warned that occupier violence in the West Bank had reached unprecedented levels, saying it had documented over 1,430 attacks on Palestinians and their property since the start of the year.
Continued occupier attacks, alongside home demolitions and evictions, have displaced some 3,800 West Bank Palestinians, about half of them children, according to the U.N.
