‘De facto annexation’: Israel to shift civilian enforcement in West Bank from army to police

What Happened

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Friday that he had instructed the Israeli military to draft a plan to transfer enforcement powers for civilian matters in the occupied West Bank from the army to the police. Under the plan, the police would “establish an appropriate force to handle and address civilian matters”, while the military would focus solely on “Palestinian terrorism” and protecting borders and communities, according to Katz’s office. Katz argued it was appropriate for police to oversee civilian affairs in the West Bank because the force performs that role “in every other place in the State of Israel”. The announcement was not coordinated with the military or the police, though Israel Hayom reported on Friday that the army welcomed the move, and Ynet reported the announcement followed a request by army chief Eyal Zamir to reduce the military’s workload in the West Bank. Katz’s statement referred to the entire West Bank without distinguishing between Areas A and B, where the Palestinian Authority handles civilian affairs, and Area C, where Israel exercises civilian authority under the Oslo Accords. Israel has never formally annexed the West Bank, which has been under Israeli military occupation since 1967, and under Israeli and international law the military is the occupying authority with enforcement powers there, including over civilian affairs. Ynet military correspondent Ron Ben-Yishai called the announcement “de facto annexation” and questioned its legal basis.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The move shifts civilian law enforcement in the occupied West Bank from the military, which is legally the occupying authority, to Israeli civilian police, a step critics and some Israeli commentators say amounts to de facto annexation. It comes amid a sharp rise in settler violence, including the ongoing siege of Palestinian homes in Qusra, and follows settler leaders’ calls for full Israeli sovereignty and cancellation of the Oslo Accords. The change could alter the legal and administrative status of Israeli control in the West Bank and strain the framework that divides civilian authority between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

Watch For

Monitor whether Katz’s plan is formally adopted and funded, given questions about police capacity, and how Itamar Ben Gvir responds after being left out of the announcement. Watch for further Israeli cabinet decisions, military orders, or legislation implementing the transfer, any attempt to extend police authority into Areas A and B, and reactions from the Palestinian Authority and international actors. Also monitor the situation in Qusra, where settlers remained as of Friday, and whether legal challenges or statements on annexation emerge.