Katz orders transfer of West Bank civilian policing from army to police
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Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on 14 August ordered the army to transfer civilian law enforcement in the West Bank from the military to police within two weeks. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on 17 August called the move 'a meaningful step toward sovereignty'.
Key Facts
- UN OCHA recorded more than 1,380 settler attacks from the start of the year through 31 July, affecting more than 250 villages and injuring more than 900 people.
- On 9 August, dozens of Israeli settlers entered three homes in Qusra, south of Nablus, cut water and electricity, and expelled the residents of two homes before the area was declared a closed military zone.
- In July 2025, the Knesset declared the West Bank an inseparable part of Israeli territory.
- In February 2026, the security cabinet placed Area C land acquisition under Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and started the first land-registration process in Area C since 1967.
- The International Court of Justice on 19 July 2024 found Israel's extension of its own law to the territory unjustifiable, its failure to prevent settler violence systematic, and its practices in violation of Article 3 of the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
The Katz Transfer Order
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on 14 August gave the army two weeks to transfer civilian law enforcement in the West Bank from military to police. The stated justification was that the army would focus on terrorism while police handled civilian affairs. On 17 August, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the decision 'a meaningful step toward sovereignty'.
Qusra Takeover and OCHA Data
On 9 August, dozens of Israeli settlers entered three homes in Qusra, south of Nablus, cut water and electricity, and expelled the residents of two homes. Two families of 15 people, including two children under seven, were inside the houses; neither police nor soldiers intervened. The area was then declared a closed military zone, and activists bringing food were stopped by Israeli soldiers rather than settlers. UN OCHA's 31 July report recorded more than 1,380 settler attacks from the start of the year, affecting more than 250 villages and injuring more than 900 people.
Institutional Steps Toward Sovereignty
In July 2025, the Knesset declared the West Bank an inseparable part of Israeli territory. In February 2026, the security cabinet placed Area C land acquisition under Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and opened the first land-registration process in Area C since 1967. The registration programme budgets 244 million shekels over four years and targets 15 percent of Area C within five years. The International Court of Justice on 19 July 2024 found Israel's extension of its own law to the territory unjustifiable and its failure to prevent settler violence systematic. The Katz order leaves Israeli citizens under police jurisdiction and Palestinians under military jurisdiction in the same territory.
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Katz orders transfer of West Bank civilian policing from army to police
