SAFA - Israel’s decision to transfer law enforcement powers over civil matters in West Bank settlements from the military to the Israeli police marks a dangerous step toward the de facto annexation of occupied Palestinian territory, a Palestinian settlement affairs expert warned.

Israeli Army Minister Israel Katz announced Friday that law enforcement powers in West Bank settlements would be transferred to the Israeli police. The decision comes amid a sharp escalation in settlement expansion, land confiscation, the establishment of new settlement outposts, and attacks by settlers and Israeli forces against Palestinian communities.

A Step Toward Imposing Israeli Law

A Palestinian settlement affairs expert said the transfer of authority goes far beyond an administrative change, warning that it could expand the direct application of Israeli law to settlements located in the occupied West Bank.

Under international humanitarian law, the West Bank remains occupied Palestinian territory, with Israel exercising military occupation. Transferring powers from the military authorities to civilian Israeli law enforcement could therefore further blur the distinction between Israel and the territory it occupies.

The expert warned that, if implemented, the move could constitute another step toward the effective annexation of the West Bank by treating settlements as subject to Israel’s domestic legal system rather than as communities located in occupied territory.

The decision comes as Palestinians across the West Bank face increasing settler attacks, land seizures, and settlement expansion.

Israeli settlers have continued establishing outposts and expanding existing settlements, while attacks against Palestinian homes, farmland, and property have intensified. The transfer of law enforcement authority could provide settlers with greater protection and freedom of movement while further weakening accountability for violence against Palestinians, the Palestinian expert warned.

He said the absence of effective Israeli measures to deter settler violence, combined with growing political and security support for the settlement movement, creates an environment in which attacks are likely to continue.

Internal Israeli Disputes Behind the Move

The timing of the decision reflects internal power struggles within the Israeli political establishment.

Reports indicate the move followed actions taken by the Israeli military’s Central Command chief, Avi Blot, who sought to restrict a settler involved in violent attacks against Palestinian civilians. Political pressure from far-right factions quickly followed.

Additionally, amidst political squabbles and reports of restricted powers, including limits on high-level meetings with foreign diplomatic delegations, the move appears to be a calculated attempt to assert broader authority over West Bank affairs.

A Path Toward De Facto Annexation

The most serious concern, however, lies in the broader implications of transferring civilian law enforcement powers to Israeli forces.

The Palestinian expert warned that applying Israeli civilian law and policing mechanisms directly to settlements could gradually institutionalize Israel’s control over the occupied territory and advance the process of de facto annexation.

He stressed that the move should not be viewed in isolation but as part of a wider Israeli policy involving settlement expansion, Palestinian land confiscation, the establishment of outposts, and increasing state support for the settler movement.

If such measures become entrenched, he warned, they could create a permanent reality in which Israeli settlements are increasingly integrated into Israel’s legal and administrative system while Palestinian communities remain under a separate military regime.

The decision comes against the backdrop of mounting concerns over Israel’s plans to consolidate its control over the West Bank.

The Palestinian expert warned that transferring authority from the military to the police could pave the way for the broader application of Israeli laws and institutions across the occupied territory, potentially turning what is currently presented as an administrative arrangement into a mechanism for permanent annexation.

Even if the decision has not yet been fully implemented, he said, its significance should not be underestimated. Coming alongside continued settlement expansion, land confiscation, and escalating settler violence, the measure could further undermine the status of the West Bank as occupied Palestinian territory and accelerate efforts to make Israeli control permanent.