Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Monday his refusal to reinstate administrative detention orders against settlers, despite the escalation of their terrorist acts against Palestinians, journalists, and foreign diplomats in the occupied West Bank. Approximately 750,000 settlers live in 156 settlements and 360 outposts in the occupied West Bank, including the eastern part of occupied Jerusalem, committing terrorist acts aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians.
Police and Army Responsibility
Katz, in a statement, pointed to "serious acts of violence committed by a handful of Jewish rioters in Judea and Samaria (the biblical name for the West Bank)." He added that handling these acts "must fall entirely on the shoulders of the Israeli police, including preventive, investigative, and prosecutorial tasks." Katz claimed that "the army should not, and cannot, engage in law enforcement in the civilian sphere."
He continued that the army's role focuses on combating what he termed "Palestinian terrorism," as well as "defending the state's borders and Jewish settlements (settlements) along the contact zone." However, Katz added: "Based on my directives, the army is preparing a comprehensive plan to organize law enforcement activities in the civilian sphere in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), so that powers are distributed between the army and the police."
Cancellation of the Order and Rights Stance
He clarified that "the plan does not include any recommendations to reinstate administrative detention orders; it is not the solution, but rather the solution lies in the strong and effective application of the law by the police." He considered administrative detention "an arbitrary measure that I canceled immediately upon assuming the position of Defense Minister, and I have no intention of reinstating it." According to data from the Israeli Prison Service, as of early October, there were 9,265 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, including 3,101 administrative detainees.
Palestinian, Israeli, and international human rights institutions accuse the Israeli government of turning a blind eye to terrorist attacks carried out by settlers, often with the participation of soldiers, against Palestinian civilians, journalists, and foreign diplomats in the West Bank. Palestinians warn that Israel is paving the way with this terrorism to officially annex the West Bank, which would mean undermining the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state as stipulated in relevant UN resolutions.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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