Israel transfers West Bank law enforcement to civilian police; Palestinians warn of 'de facto annexation'

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on August 15 ordered the military to prepare plans to transfer civilian law enforcement in the occupied West Bank to Israeli police. The move immediately drew strong opposition from Palestinian officials, who see it as a dangerous step toward the illegal annexation of the territory.

According to Israel's Haaretz newspaper, the decision came after the military faced criticism over its handling of an incident in which settlers besieged a Palestinian home in the village of Qusra. Katz justified the change, saying: “The military's role is to fight Palestinian terrorism... not to chase youths on the hills.” The Israeli Defense Ministry said police would establish a special task force to handle these civilian matters.

However, analysts say replacing military occupation law with domestic civilian law fundamentally alters the legal status of the territory. Mohanad Mustafa, a scholar of Israeli affairs, told Al Jazeera that the decision erases borders legally. “The government is treating the West Bank not as occupied territory,” he said, explaining that transferring authority to civilian police forces means Israel has effectively annexed the West Bank.

Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, warned that settlers are “the spearhead of annexation and Judaization.” He drew historical parallels to the 1948 displacement of Palestinians, calling this a repeat of actions by “Zionist terrorist gangs like the Haganah and the Stern Gang.” He stressed that giving security control to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and illegal settlements to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich means “handing the West Bank to the settlers.”

Palestinian leaders have strongly condemned the decision. Hussein al-Sheikh, Secretary-General of the PLO Executive Committee, described it as a blatant violation of international agreements and a plot to “impose Israeli law and sovereignty over the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and consolidate the illegal annexation of Palestinian land.” Hamas also issued a statement calling it “a dangerous step toward imposing de facto annexation,” enabling “escalating settler attacks and crimes.”

Analysts emphasize that relieving the military of this duty effectively legitimizes settler violence, turning settlers into an armed arm of the state. Nihad Abu Ghosh, an expert on Israeli affairs, argued that settlers have evolved into “fascist militia organizations” doing the state's dirty work. He drew comparisons: “There are similar precedents in many countries ruled by fascism, whether Spain, Italy, Germany, or Chile.”

The dual legal framework resulting from this change has drawn sharp criticism. Shadi al-Shurafa, a researcher on Israeli affairs, described the situation as a classic definition of apartheid. “We are facing the application of an openly racist system in the West Bank,” he said, adding that the ultimate goal is to carry out ethnic cleansing and confine Palestinians in “isolated areas and Bantustans.” Adel Shadid, another expert, said the issue has moved beyond annexation to a post-annexation phase, forcing Palestinians to consider migration.

Analysts also criticized the role of the international community, particularly the United States, in enabling this. Shadid said U.S. statements condemning settler violence are merely “theater” to deceive public opinion, while the project has full U.S. backing. Andrew Whitley, a former UN official and director of the Balfour Project, stressed that the transfer plan is “utterly illegal” and called for immediate international intervention. “The Palestinian state is disappearing before our eyes,” he said, urging concrete sanctions rather than merely verbal condemnation.