Israeli defense minister tells army to draft plan shifting enforcement over West Bank occupiers to police

Israel’s defense minister has instructed the army to submit a plan to transfer law enforcement powers over Israeli occupiers in the West Bank to the Israeli police, according to local media. The decision comes amid growing outrage over the Israeli army protecting occupiers during their attacks on Palestinians. Meeting with senior military and defense officials, Defense Minister Katz said it was agreed that the army would submit a comprehensive plan on the matter within two weeks, which would subsequently be coordinated with the Israeli police and subject to the army’s 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 outlet said. On Friday, Katz instructed the army to prepare a plan to transfer law enforcement powers over occupiers in the West Bank to the Israeli police, which falls under extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. His office said a special police force would be formed for the task and granted the necessary powers and budget. On Wednesday, the UN warned that occupier violence in the West Bank had reached unprecedented levels, saying it had documented more than 1,430 attacks since the start of the year targeting around 260 Palestinian communities. The attacks, alongside demolitions and evictions, have displaced 3,800 Palestinians, about half of them children, according to the UN.