Ramallah: The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission announced on Friday that Israeli Army Minister Israel Katz's directive to the Israeli occupation army to plan the transfer of law enforcement powers over civil cases involving colonists in the West Bank to the Israeli police marks a significant step in the administrative and legal annexation of occupied Palestinian territory.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the commission's assessment, issued on Friday, notes that the directive has not yet been enacted, as no military order or legislation has been issued to detail the transfer's scope or its implementation mechanisms. The commission highlighted that the directive aims to transition law enforcement against colonists to a civilian Israeli function, similar to the system within Israel, thereby completing the transfer of roles related to land, planning, and enforcement from military authorities to Israeli civilian institutions. Meanwhile, Palestinians would remain under military rule and law.
The commission further explained that Katz's directive is linked to the establishment of 104 new colonies and the legalization of colonial farms, with an anticipated increase in colonist numbers. The directive proposes creating a plan to transfer powers, establish a dedicated force, and allocate the necessary authorities and budgets. The commission warned that this move might reduce the field response to attacks by colonist gangs, particularly if occupation soldiers withdraw from initial intervention duties without an effective police response. This delay could allow colonists more time to establish and consolidate colonial outposts.
It was noted that if the transfer includes immediate intervention powers, such as evacuating newly established outposts and halting violations, it might weaken the current system's ability to stop outposts during their early stages, potentially turning them into irreversible realities. The commission cited incidents in Qusra, south of Nablus, to illustrate the potential risks, where colonist groups have surrounded Palestinian homes and established a nearby colonial outpost. An operational gap between the army and police could benefit the party capable of imposing a new reality on the ground in the initial hours.
The commission predicted a partial and gradual transfer, where the police or Border Guard Police would handle Israeli colonists while the occupation army maintains its current responsibilities. However, it emphasized that the directive's political impact begins before its implementation, as it signals the priority given to colony protection. The commission stressed that understanding the practical effects of the move requires details on the implementation plan, including the definition of "civil cases," geographic and personal power limits, command chain and budget, police powers in Areas A and B, and the army's role in initial interventions and outpost evacuations.
Finally, the commission called for international diplomatic and legal efforts to oppose the move and urged continued documentation of developments linking changes in army and police powers to colonial attacks, outpost establishment, and Palestinian displacement.