Katz: Police to handle civilian enforcement in Judea-Samaria

Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Monday a comprehensive plan to reorganize civilian enforcement in Judea and Samaria, transferring full responsibility for handling Jewish violence to the Israel Police's Judea and Samaria District (known as Shai). The announcement follows serious violence over the weekend, including attacks on foreign diplomats and Palestinian olive harvesters.

"Handling the serious violence of a handful of Jewish rioters in Judea and Samaria must be entirely the responsibility of Israel Police Shai District, including prevention, investigation and prosecution," the defense minister said.

According to Katz, "The IDF should not and cannot engage in civilian enforcement, but rather must fight Palestinian terror and defend the state's borders and the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and along the seam line."

Following the defense minister's directive, the IDF prepared a comprehensive plan dividing authority between the IDF's field operations and the transfer of actual civilian enforcement to the Shai District of Israel Police. The plan is designed to clarify the separation of roles among the various security forces in the area.

Katz added that the plan does not include recommendations to restore administrative detention orders against Judea and Samaria residents, a measure he canceled upon taking office as defense minister. "Administrative orders are not the solution --- strong and effective police enforcement is," he emphasized.

He said that he coordinated with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to implement the plan as soon as possible. Implementation will include coordination between the IDF and Israel Police, and allocation of necessary resources in budgets and manpower to the Shai District to carry out the mission.

The announcement comes against the backdrop of a serious diplomatic incident that occurred this past Shabbos in the Palestinian village of Taybeh in Area B, when a group of masked Jewish rioters violently attacked representatives and diplomats from France, Belgium and Poland who had come to the area as part of an olive harvest. According to testimony, the rioters also attacked Palestinian harvesters who are residents of the Christian village.

Following the incidents, early this morning Shai District began extensive arrest operations in cooperation with the Shin Bet and accompanied by Border Police and IDF forces in Judea and Samaria. The operation, dubbed "Olive Leaf," focused on investigating the violence. So far, eight suspects have been arrested and several vehicles confiscated. The suspects were transferred for interrogation at the Shai District central unit and at Shomron regional stations.

Parallel to the arrest operations, the IDF and Border Police are conducting enforcement activity to remove illegal construction, violations of military orders, and trespassing in a Palestinian home. Security forces' field operations and investigative efforts continue.