‘De facto annexation’: Israel to shift civilian enforcement in West Bank from army to police

Israel is preparing to shift civilian enforcement in the West Bank from the military to civilian police forces. The administrative change, set against a backdrop of rising settler violence and calls by Israeli officials for increased civilian control, affects the occupied Palestinian territory.

Critics and observers view the transition as a step that further advances the de facto annexation of the West Bank. The move replaces army oversight with civilian policing structures in the region.