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

‘De facto annexation’: Israel to shift civilian enforcement in West Bank from army to police Submitted by Nadav Rapaport on Fri, 08/14/2026 - 14:39 It comes as settler violence continues to rise and Israeli officials call for greater civilian control in the occupied Palestinian territory An Israeli soldier stands in front of a Palestinian house besieged by Israeli settlers in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, on 14 August 2026 (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP) Off Israel is preparing to replace the army in the West Bank with civilian police forces, in a move seen as further advancing the annexation of the occupied Palestinian territory. Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Friday that he had instructed the 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.