"Hantash" warns of risks of transferring enforcement powers of West Bank settlement law to occupation police

Settlement affairs expert Abdul Hadi Hantash warned that transferring law enforcement powers in civil cases related to settlements in the West Bank from the occupation army to the Israeli police represents a step towards imposing Israeli law on occupied Palestinian territories. Occupation army minister Israel Katz announced last Friday the transfer of law enforcement powers in West Bank settlements to the occupation police, a step that coincided with widespread attacks carried out by settler gangs and the occupation army on Palestinian cities and towns. Hantash confirmed in a statement to "Filastin" newspaper that transferring law enforcement powers in settlements means a new step towards annexing the West Bank to the occupation entity. The decision comes at a time when the West Bank is witnessing an escalation in settlement activity, through confiscation of Palestinian lands, establishment of outposts, and expansion of existing settlements, alongside escalating settler attacks on Palestinians and their property. Hantash believed that the decision is linked, according to what is rumored in Israeli political circles, to internal disputes over Katz's powers, noting that the decision may be a reaction to measures taken by the commander of the Central Command in the occupation army. He explained that the Central Command commander, Avi Bluth, had taken measures to restrict the movement of one of the settlers who participate in attacks on Palestinian citizens, which sparked reactions within Israeli political circles. Hantash added that there are, according to what is rumored in those circles, restrictions imposed on Katz's powers, including preventing him from holding meetings with foreign delegations, whether from the European Union or the United States, which may push him to try to show that he has broader powers in files related to the West Bank. Hantash considered that transferring powers from the army to the occupation police carries implications beyond the administrative aspect, because it means, if implemented, expanding the scope of applying Israeli law to settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. He said: This measure is "contrary to international law and international humanitarian law," noting that international law considers the occupation army as the authority in occupied territories, not the police of the occupying state. The settlement affairs expert added that the step, if it enters into force, may give settlers more room to continue their attacks, in light of what he described as the absence of Israeli deterrence towards settler violence. Hantash expected that settlers will continue, according to his assessment, to carry out attacks on Palestinians, along with establishing outposts and expanding existing settlements, amid increasing Israeli political and security support for the settlement movement. He continued: This support "encourages settlers to carry out these acts," considering that the absence of deterrent measures, along with political and security support for the settlers' council, allows attacks on Palestinians to continue. The settlement affairs expert warned that implementing the decision would constitute, from his point of view, a new link in the path of imposing Israeli law on the West Bank. He explained that imposing Israeli law on occupied territories practically means a "real annexation process," leading to treating the West Bank as part of Israel, instead of being occupied Palestinian land. Hantash linked this step to Israeli annexation plans, warning that its implementation may open the door to applying Israeli measures and laws more broadly to the West Bank. He continued: What is happening now must be viewed within a continuous path of settlement, land confiscation, and expansion of settlements, calling for not allowing these measures to become a permanent reality on the ground. Hantash stressed that the decision, even if not fully implemented yet, has serious implications for the future of the West Bank, especially in light of continued settlement expansion and escalating settler attacks on Palestinians.