Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the Israeli military to prepare a plan within two weeks to transfer civil law enforcement duties in the West Bank to the police force.
اضافة اعلان
Speaking during a security meeting attended by IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and several military officials—including Central Command Chief Avi Bluth—Katz stated that Israel will not tolerate violence or law-breaking by unauthorized parties.
According to an announcement by the Israeli Ministry of Defense, an agreement was reached in coordination with the Central Command and relevant authorities to expedite procedures for regulating licensed outposts and farms in the West Bank.
On Friday, Katz announced that he had tasked the military with drafting a plan aimed at "transferring all public order powers" regarding settlers in the occupied West Bank to the police. This followed criticism from extremists against the military over its attempts to remove settlers surrounding Palestinian homes in the town of Qusra.
The development comes as nearly two weeks have passed since settlers began surrounding homes in Qusra, in the northern West Bank, where residents reported being prevented from receiving essential supplies. Although the military attempted to clear them from the area, settlers returned on multiple occasions.
The siege of homes in Qusra drew rare criticism from Washington. On Thursday, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee—traditionally known as a staunch supporter of settlers—condemned their actions, stating there was "no excuse for this kind of thuggish behavior."
