The Regional Commander supports – and Katz promotes: The move to regulate farms in Judea and Samaria

Defense Minister Israel Katz held a follow-up discussion yesterday, Sunday, on the subject of Judea and Samaria, with the participation of IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and senior defense officials. At the end of the discussion, it was agreed that the IDF would submit a comprehensive plan within two weeks to transfer the handling of civil enforcement in the region to the Israel Police. Alongside this, it was decided to quickly promote the move to regulate legal farms, in accordance with the law and subject to security approval.

A significant change in the division of responsibility in Judea and Samaria is on the agenda: Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the IDF to prepare a plan within two weeks that will allow the Israel Police to take responsibility for civil enforcement activities in the region.

The decision was made during a follow-up discussion that Katz held with Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, the Central Command Commander, the Head of the Operations Directorate, the Head of the Planning Directorate, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, the Military Advocate General, the Judea and Samaria Division Commander, the Legal Advisor to the Defense Establishment, and other representatives.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Defense Minister received an overview of IDF activity in Judea and Samaria as well as a situational picture from the head of the Shin Bet in the region. Katz praised the army's activity against Palestinian terror and pointed to the decrease in its scope for the second consecutive year. According to him, the activity in the terror camps in the northern Samaria region was a significant turning point in weakening the infrastructure in the area. Accordingly, the Minister instructed to prepare for the possibility of entering another camp in the event of attempts to increase terror activity.

A central part of the discussion was dedicated to law violations and violent incidents by a small minority among the Jewish settler public. According to what was reported at the meeting, dealing with the phenomenon forces the IDF to allocate more and more forces to it. Katz expressed an unequivocal position against the phenomenon and clarified:

"We will not allow violence and taking the law into one's own hands by unauthorized parties."

The Defense Minister determined that the handling of the civil aspects of enforcement in Judea and Samaria should be carried out by the Israel Police, in cooperation between all relevant bodies. Accordingly, the IDF will submit a comprehensive plan within two weeks that will be coordinated later with the police and will be carried out subject to the army's authorities in the field.

Alongside the enforcement move, Katz emphasized that expanding settlement in Judea and Samaria is, from his perspective, an important step for strengthening security. The Central Command Commander expressed support during the discussion for the possibility of establishing and regulating farms in places suitable for this, as long as it is done in accordance with the law, based on prior planning, and subject to receiving security clearance. According to the position he presented, farms established under these conditions may contribute to security in the region. At the same time, the Legal Advisor to the Defense Establishment and the Military Advocate General are working to promote legal approval for regulations that will define under what conditions and circumstances it will be possible to legally regulate some of the existing farms.

The defense establishment is examining an additional tool for dealing with illegal or unregulated activity — economic harm to those responsible for it. According to what was reported, deterrent economic measures will be considered against those whose activity causes large expenses for the defense establishment. These measures, if approved, will be in addition to possible criminal proceedings and will not replace them.