Israel's Defence Minister Orders Plan to Transfer West Bank Law Enforcement from IDF to Police

On 14 August 2026, Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the IDF to draft plans shifting civilian law enforcement over Israelis in the occupied West Bank to Israel Police. Human rights lawyer Michael Sfard warned the transfer could be "a major step towards formal annexation," noting the military can delegate enforcement but "not responsibility." Palestine's Hussein al-Sheikh called it a "flagrant violation of international law" and urged international intervention.