Palestinian rights stories

Aug 13, 2026

Israel to transfer West Bank law enforcement from military to police following settler violence

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the IDF to prepare transferring civilian law enforcement in the occupied West Bank to police, following a week-long siege by settlers of Palestinian homes including one owned by a Palestinian American family. The move, described by critics as de facto annexation, comes after the U.S. ambassador condemned the settler violence as a 'horrific act of terror.'

Aug 13, 20266 sources

Jun 9, 2026

Six Western Nations Impose Coordinated Sanctions on Israeli Settlers Over West Bank Violence

The UK, Australia, Canada, France, Norway, and New Zealand announced joint sanctions targeting Israeli settlers and entities involved in violence in the occupied West Bank, including a far-right Israeli cabinet minister. However, human rights groups and Palestinian campaigners criticized the measures as insufficient, arguing they fail to address systemic Israeli state complicity in what Amnesty International has characterized as ethnic cleansing.

Jun 9, 20266 sources

Top claims

▪Palestinian Vice-President Hussein al-Sheikh called for international intervention to stop the policing transfer, warning it would entrench the illegitimate annexation of Palestinian land.
▪United States Ambassador Mike Huckabee stated that the Israel Defense Forces and Israel Police deployed to Qusra at the request of the United States to remove the settlers.
▪Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees the police, was not informed beforehand about Defense Minister Israel Katz's announcement.

People involved

Israel Katz

Subtopics

Israeli domestic politics2 Israel-Palestine Conflict1 Sanctions & economic countermeasures1 Settler attacks in the West Bank1 Settler violence1 Territorial disputes1 U.S. Israel relations1 West Bank1 West Bank annexation1 West Bank occupation1 West Bank settlements1 West Bank violence1

Related timelines