Current sectionWest Bank NewsMilitary officials believe the defense minister's plan is intended to let settlers establish outposts without interference. Wary of confronting him publicly, they are framing their opposition in legal termsShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeYaniv Kubovich01:49 PM • August 23 2026 IDTSources in the IDF say they believe Defense Minister Israel Katz's latest plan to transfer responsibility for enforcing civilian law in the West Bank from the military to the police is intended to allow settlers to establish outposts without military interference.Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:TerrorismIsrael settlementsWest BankAnnexationIsrael KatzCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Live UpdatesWest BankHind RajabTurkey-InterpolE1 TenderNetanyahuGazaCalifornia Special ElectionHaQuizHaaretz PodcastOver 100 Former British, French Diplomats Urge Sweeping Sanctions on IsraelIDF Officials Say Giving Police West Bank Powers Requires Formal AnnexationMark Ruffalo Rejects Paramount's Antisemitism Charge Over His Israel CriticismHow Could I Move Back to Israel?Syria's Foreign Minister Sees Israel Security Talks Resuming Despite No TrustRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIIDF Marks Detained Palestinians With Numbers as Northern West Bank Raids ExpandThe American Jewish Establishment Is Defending an Israel That No Longer ExistsAn Israeli Startup Is Reinventing Salmon Farming. It May Upend a Global IndustryIsraeli Army Orders Criminal Probes Into Killing of Hind Rajab, Gaza MedicsGo to Qusra to See What Israel Is Trying to HideDavid Remnick on Netanyahu, Mamdani and Israel's 'Failure to Face' Gaza