Israel orders transfer of West Bank policing to civilian forces amid annexation fears
The move, justified as a shift in military focus, is viewed by critics as a structural acceleration of de facto annexation and a violation of international law.
Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has directed the military to prepare a plan for transferring civilian law enforcement in the occupied West Bank to the Israeli police. The decision, reported by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, follows recent criticism regarding the army’s handling of Israeli settlers who besieged a Palestinian home in the village of Qusra. Katz justified the operational shift by stating that the army’s role is to combat Palestinian terrorism rather than “chase hilltop youth,” with the Defence Ministry indicating that the police would establish a dedicated force to manage these civilian matters.
Palestinian officials and political analysts have condemned the directive as a dangerous acceleration of illegal annexation, describing it as a move towards apartheid and ethnic cleansing. Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, characterised settlers as the “spearhead in the process of annexation and Judaisation.” He drew parallels to the mass displacement of Palestinians in 1948, warning that placing security under National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and settlements under Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich amounts to handing the West Bank over to settler control.
Analysts argue that replacing military occupation law with domestic civilian law fundamentally alters the legal reality of the territory. Mohanad Mustafa, an academic and researcher in Israeli affairs, stated that the decision legally erases borders and absolves the military of its obligations under international law. He warned that Ben-Gvir, who previously oversaw the demolition of thousands of Arab homes in Israel, would now command the police to support settlers, thereby deepening repression and terrorism against Palestinians.
The Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) have strongly rejected the mandate. Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the PLO’s executive committee, described the move as a blatant violation of international agreements and an attempt to impose Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Hamas echoed this sentiment, calling the order a dangerous step on the path to de facto annexation that provides cover for escalating settler attacks.
Experts suggest the shift effectively deputises settler violence, turning armed groups into an extension of the state. Nihad Abu Ghosh described settlers as “fascist militia formations” performing the state’s dirty work, similar to precedents in historical fascist regimes. Shadi al-Shurafa, a researcher in Israeli affairs, termed the situation a textbook definition of segregation and an overt racist apartheid system, noting the creation of isolated cantons for Palestinians.
Former United Nations official Andrew Whitley, director of the Balfour Project, labelled the planned transfer as completely illegal and urged immediate global intervention. He argued that the Palestinian state is disappearing and called for concrete sanctions to halt the rapid erasure of the Palestinian presence, dismissing recent US condemnations of settler violence as theatre to mislead global public opinion.
