DM Katz orders shift of West Bank law enforcement duties from IDF to Israeli police
Katz says the move aims to keep soldiers focused on security operations while giving Israeli police greater responsibility for civilian law enforcement
Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz has announced a significant change in how law enforcement missions are handled in the West Bank, giving the Israel Defense Forces two weeks to present a plan for transferring responsibility for civilian law enforcement to the Israeli police.
Katz accompanied the decision with a clear message: “We will allow neither violence nor unauthorized actors to take the law into their own hands.”
The move does not represent an Israeli military withdrawal from the West Bank. The IDF will retain its military and security responsibilities, while the proposed change is primarily aimed at creating a clearer separation between security operations and civilian law enforcement.
Some of this distinction already exists. Israeli police are generally responsible for investigating and handling offenses committed by Israeli citizens, while soldiers retain certain powers to respond to incidents and maintain security on the ground.
The proposed reform is therefore largely operational. Its goal is to prevent soldiers from being placed on the front lines of situations that fall under ordinary law enforcement, strengthen the police's role, and establish clearer procedures for determining which authority responds when an offense is committed.
Military authority, however, would remain in place. The IDF's regional commander would continue to serve as a central military and legal authority in the West Bank, where the legal framework remains distinct from that inside Israel.
Katz has also called for the accelerated regularization of farms considered legal by the Israeli authorities, in coordination with the IDF Central Command and relevant government agencies.
Taken together, the measures appear designed to draw a clearer distinction between state-recognized Israeli settlements and unauthorized activity, while placing greater responsibility for civilian law enforcement on the police.
The practical impact of the change will depend on the plan submitted by the IDF. Key questions, including whether additional police personnel will be deployed, how responsibilities will be divided, and how the police and military will coordinate have yet to be determined.