TPC Staff
The Palestine Chronicle / August 15, 2026
Israel is preparing to transfer law enforcement powers over illegal West Bank Jewish settlements from the military to police under far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the army to prepare a plan transferring law enforcement powers over Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank from the military to Israeli police, prompting Palestinian warnings that the measure represents another step toward de facto annexation.
According to Katz, the change would transfer responsibility for law enforcement in civilian matters inside Jewish settlements to the police, separating those functions from security responsibilities handled by the military.
His office said a special police force would be established for the task and provided with the necessary authority and budget.
Israeli police fall under the National Security Ministry headed by far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a leading advocate of settlement expansion and Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank.
The announcement comes amid a series of Israeli measures expanding settlements and changing administrative arrangements governing the occupied territory.
‘Dangerous step’ toward annexation
Hamas condemned the decision, describing the transfer of authority as “a dangerous step toward imposing de facto annexation.”
The movement said shifting powers concerning settlers from the occupation army to Israeli police would further entrench Israeli control by extending the occupation’s domestic legal structures into occupied Palestinian territory.
It also argued that transferring those responsibilities to police under Ben-Gvir could not be separated from the Israeli government’s broader settlement policy.
“Transferring the powers to police under Ben-Gvir’s ministry cannot be separated from Israeli government’s policy aimed at strengthening settlement and imposing new facts on the ground in the West Bank,” Hamas said.
The movement warned that the measure would provide settlers with additional protection while settlement expansion and attacks against Palestinians and their property continue.
Hamas called on Arab and Muslim countries and international institutions to act against Israeli annexation and settlement measures.
‘Erasing the Green Line’
Palestinian Islamic Jihad similarly described the decision as an annexation measure, saying it would effectively eliminate the distinction between Israel and the settlements for the Israeli population living there.
According to the movement, transferring civilian law enforcement authority from the military to Israeli police amounts to “eliminating the Green Line administratively and legally for settlers.”
Islamic Jihad said the measure would further integrate illegal settlements into Israel’s domestic administrative system and consolidate what it called the “de facto annexation of the West Bank.”
The group said the decision violated the Fourth Geneva Convention and UN resolutions, including Security Council Resolution 2334, which states that Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 have “no legal validity.”
Islamic Jihad also called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to act against Israeli officials over alleged crimes committed in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and southern Lebanon.
‘Actual beginning’ of annexation
Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, described Katz’s decision as the “actual beginning of the annexation of the occupied West Bank.”
Barghouti said transferring enforcement powers would reduce the military’s authority over settlers and place them more directly under Ben-Gvir’s ministry.
He also expressed doubt that Israeli police would use the expanded authority to prevent attacks against Palestinians.
The decision comes as Israeli settlement expansion and settler attacks have intensified across the occupied West Bank.
On Wednesday, the United Nations said it had documented more than 1,430 settler attacks since the beginning of 2026, affecting approximately 260 Palestinian communities.
According to the UN figures cited in the report, settler attacks, demolitions and evictions have displaced approximately 3,800 Palestinians, around half of them children.
The latest administrative move follows other recent Israeli measures expanding settlement activity across the occupied West Bank, amid repeated Palestinian warnings that changes being implemented on the ground are advancing de facto annexation without a formal declaration.
(QNN, Anadolu, TPC)
