Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has ordered the military to draw up plans to transfer civil law enforcement authority in the occupied West Bank from the Israel Defense Forces to the national police, a move Katz said would allow the army to focus on counter-terrorism and border defence. The decision, which includes the creation of a dedicated police unit for civilian affairs, follows a security meeting with senior military commanders and comes amid the establishment of 104 new settlements in the territory.
Palestinian Vice-President Hussein al-Sheikh condemned the plan as a "flagrant violation of international law" and a step toward full annexation. The announcement coincides with heightened tensions, including a six-day settler siege of the village of Qusra that the Israeli army has failed to lift.
US Ambassador Mike Huckabee described the Israelis besieging homes in Qusra as terrorists and called on Israeli forces to intervene, while Washington has urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn militant settlers.