Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh has condemned an Israeli plan to transfer law enforcement powers over illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank to the Israeli police, calling it another step towards imposing Israeli sovereignty and entrenching annexation.
Al-Sheikh said on Friday that the move announced by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz violates international law, UN resolutions and agreements signed between the two sides.
“It represents a new attempt to impose Israeli law and sovereignty on the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and to entrench the illegal annexation of Palestinian land,” he said.
He urged the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to intervene and press Israel to comply with international law and relevant UN resolutions.
Israel plans new police force for illegal settlers
Katz on Friday instructed the Israeli military to prepare a plan to transfer forces' responsibilities over illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank to Israeli police, which operates under National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Katz’s office said a special police force would be established and given the necessary authority and funding.
The decision comes as the Israeli military provides security for illegal settlers during attacks on Palestinians, according to Palestinian officials.
Hamas also rejected the plan, describing it as a dangerous move towards de facto annexation and saying the transfer of authority to a police force under Ben-Gvir would further entrench illegal Israeli settlement policies.
UN warns of surge in occupied West Bank violence
The dispute comes amid growing international concern over violence and displacement in the occupied West Bank.
The UN said on Wednesday that settler violence had reached unprecedented levels, documenting more than 1,430 attacks since the beginning of 2026 across around 260 Palestinian communities.
The attacks, together with demolitions and evictions, have displaced about 3,800 Palestinians, roughly half of them children, according to the UN.
Al-Sheikh said Israeli settlements in territory occupied since 1967 are illegal and stressed that Israel has no sovereignty over any part of the occupied Palestinian territories.
