DM Katz seeks to transfer law enforcement from IDF to police amid Qusra crisis

Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Friday morning that he had instructed the IDF to transfer responsibility for dealing with Israeli civilians in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) to the police.

The announcement came amid an ongoing crisis in the Palestinian village of Qusra. On Friday morning, Jewish rioters again erected a tent that the IDF had dismantled the previous night on land belonging to a Palestinian family that has been trapped in its home for several days.

“The police will prepare and establish an appropriate force to handle civilian matters and will be given all the necessary authority and resources,” the defense minister’s office said. “The IDF will continue fighting Palestinian terrorism and focus on defending the borders and communities.”

“This is not the IDF’s role, nor does it have the capacity to enforce civilian matters in Judea and Samaria,” Katz said.

Katz said the IDF’s role is “to fight Palestinian terrorism, focus on defending the borders and communities against threats, deal with the borders and the territory itself, and address security threats to the settlements and the State of Israel – not chase teenagers on the hilltops.”

"This is also a significant step toward strengthening governance, enforcing law and order in the Judea and Samaria areas, while allowing the IDF to concentrate on its primary missions," he added.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees the police, defended the rioters in an interview with Kan News on Thursday.

“I see most of these young people serving in the army, throwing themselves on grenades and helping the people of Israel,” Ben Gvir said. “There are some among them who really need to be arrested. I’m not saying they are all saints, but most of these guys are settling the land and building outposts. I admire them.”

On Thursday night, the Israeli military told residents of the besieged homes that they would have to evacuate within an hour ahead of a military operation expected to last several days, but later reversed the decision. IDF Central Command Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth instructed troops to enter only unoccupied homes.

The events of the past week have triggered sharp international criticism of Israel over the security establishment’s failure to end the siege. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called the rioters “Israeli terrorists” in a post on 𝕏: “Actions by those who carried out this horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting. No excuse for such thuggish behavior.”