Katz Orders Police Takeover of West Bank Settler Enforcement
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- Israel Katz called on Friday (August 14, 2026) for police to replace the military in handling settlers in the occupied West Bank, instructing the IDF to prepare a plan to transfer all enforcement powers over "civil matters among Israeli communities" — which the source notes could be a step toward Israeli annexation.
- The IDF has come under right-wing fire for attempting to remove settlers harassing Palestinians, the pressure that prompted Katz's announcement.
- Palestinian residents of three houses in Qusra near Nablus say they have been blockaded inside their homes since Sunday, cut off from food and supplies, with settlers returning repeatedly despite military removal attempts.
- Under Katz's plan, the military would continue to exercise power over Palestinian residents of the West Bank while Israel Police handle settler communities — creating a dual enforcement system with different authorities for each population.
- Katz justified the shift by saying "The IDF's role is to fight Palestinian terrorism, focus on defending borders and communities against threats... and not chase boys on the hilltops," referring to the Hilltop Youth settler movement.
Why it matters: Several ministers in Netanyahu's right-wing government openly call for annexation, and Katz's plan creates a two-tier system — police for settlers, military for Palestinians — that mirrors annexation's logic of treating the West Bank as Israeli territory under civil law while keeping Palestinians under military rule. The right-wing backlash against the IDF for even attempting to remove settlers suggests the policy shift aligns with settler movement demands and could entrench the Qusra-style blockades as a permanent feature rather than an anomaly.
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