The Media Line: Radical Settlers Deepen Rift as Katz Orders Plan To Shift West Bank Enforcement to Israel Police 

Radical Settlers Deepen Rift as Katz Orders Plan To Shift West Bank Enforcement to Israel Police 

The Qusra siege has drawn rare US criticism and intensified debate over Israel’s failure to restrain violent factions as the government considers transferring civilian law enforcement from the IDF to the police 

By Giorgia Valente / The Media Line 

A weeklong confrontation around Palestinian homes in Qusra has turned the village, about 10 miles south of Nablus, into the latest focal point of an increasingly volatile West Bank, drawing unusual rebukes from Washington and the Vatican and renewing questions inside Israel over the state’s ability—and willingness—to contain violent settlers. 

The immediate crisis began on Sunday, Aug. 9, when Israeli settlers blocked access to three Palestinian homes on the outskirts of Qusra and established a tent near the properties. Residents said their water and electricity had been cut. The United Nations later said about 15 Palestinians, including two children, were trapped inside the affected homes without running water or electricity. 

The confrontation had not been conclusively resolved by Sunday, Aug. 16. Reuters continued to describe the homes as besieged and photographed Israeli forces outside one of them that day. Pope Leo XIV, speaking after noon prayers at his Castel Gandolfo residence, appealed for an end to repeated violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and urged the international community to advance a two-state solution. He did not refer to Qusra by name. 

The three properties belonged to Palestinian families living in the same area, but subsequent Israeli military statements focused specifically on one of the homes closest to the tent. That distinction caused some confusion during the standoff: The IDF referred in its statement to “the Palestinian family” and “the house,” while reporting from the scene continued to describe three besieged homes. Reuters also noted that it was unclear which of the three properties the military meant in parts of its statement. 

By Wednesday, Aug. 12, Israeli forces had attempted to remove the settlers from the immediate area. Witnesses and video reviewed by Reuters showed troops using tear gas during clashes with settlers. Forces removed part of the tent structure before withdrawing, after which settlers attempted to break through the gate of one of the Palestinian homes. The operation did not immediately end the confrontation. 

That same Wednesday, senior Israeli commanders—including the head of the IDF Central Command, the commander of the Judea and Samaria Division and the commander of the Judea and Samaria Border Police District—visited Qusra and spoke with one of the Palestinian families affected by the confrontation. 

“The commander of the IDF Central Command, the commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, and the commander of the Judea and Samaria Border Police District toured the area of Qusra and the nearby outposts this morning and spoke with the Palestinian family residing there, who informed them that the house has electricity and water infrastructure,” the IDF told The Media Line. 

The military added: “Near the house, in Area B where a closed military zone order was issued, a tent was erected where Israeli civilians were staying. Border Police forces evacuated the tent and are working to evacuate the civilians who were staying there. The incident is still ongoing, and security forces are currently at the scene.” 

The IDF described the people at the tent as “Israeli civilians”; reporting from Qusra identified them as settlers. In this article, “settlers” is used when referring to the group involved in the confrontation, while “Israeli civilians” is retained when quoting or describing the military’s legal and operational terminology. 

The Border Police, despite its military-style organization, is part of Israel Police rather than the IDF. The IDF retains broader security authority in the territory, including the ability to declare closed military zones, while police authorities enforce criminal law involving Israeli civilians. In Qusra, soldiers secured the area while Border Police personnel were tasked with removing civilians from the disputed site. 

“During the tour, the commanders expressed their grave concern over the actions carried out by Israeli civilians against the Palestinian family and instructed that several measures be taken moving forward,” the IDF said in the same Aug. 12 statement. 

Those measures did not immediately end the standoff. On Thursday, Aug. 13, the IDF reinforced its deployment in Qusra, saying troops had been sent that morning to carry out defensive missions, patrol the area and protect residents. Reuters reported that Israeli soldiers took positions around and inside several Palestinian homes while the confrontation continued. 

The number of settlers present fluctuated, and Israeli authorities did not provide a single authoritative figure. Video obtained by Reuters on Friday showed seven settlers outside one affected home. Forces dismantled part of the encampment Wednesday, but settlers remained or returned after troops withdrew. Another tent erected Friday was also removed, again without conclusively ending the confrontation. 

Footage from earlier in the week also showed several Israeli men in green military clothing joining settlers in morning prayers at the tent. The publicly available footage did not conclusively establish whether all of those shown were active-duty soldiers, reservists or personnel from another security unit. The IDF referred to “security personnel” and said disciplinary measures would be taken against those involved. Their participation drew scrutiny because uniformed personnel deployed to enforce security and separate the parties appeared to be participating alongside one side of an active confrontation, raising questions about impartial enforcement. 

The division of responsibility between military and police authorities has since become part of a broader policy debate. On Friday, Aug. 14, Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the IDF to formulate a plan to transfer civilian enforcement and public-order responsibilities concerning Israelis in the West Bank to Israel Police. Katz said the military should concentrate on counterterrorism, border defense and protecting communities, while police should assume responsibility for civilian law enforcement. 

No transfer has yet taken place, and Katz’s instruction begins a planning process rather than completing an institutional change. If implemented, the proposal would place broader enforcement against Israeli civilians under police authority while leaving the IDF responsible for the wider security environment. Police would not gain independent authority to operate in Areas A and B, where they currently require IDF accompaniment. 

The proposal is contested. Haaretz reported that Israeli security officials consider it unworkable, while human rights lawyer Michael Sfard told The Guardian that a formal transfer could become a major step toward annexation. Sfard also said Israel could expand police powers within the existing military framework, making the proposal’s legal effect dependent on details that Katz has not released. 

The dispute over conditions at the Palestinian homes has itself become part of the confrontation. Nidal Foqaha, a Palestinian political analyst, said Palestinian residents increasingly distrust assurances from Israeli authorities. 

The Palestinian family involved has refuted the claim from the head of the IDF Central Command that it had access to electricity and water. 

“Such contradictions, combined with the absence of effective protection and enforcement, further undermine confidence in Israeli claims that the situation is being addressed,” Foqaha told The Media Line. 

The IDF statement addressed the military’s deployment and the condition of one home but did not answer every allegation concerning the other properties or individual security personnel. Reuters said Israel Police and the military did not respond Saturday to requests for comment about residents’ allegations of earlier attacks in Qusra. 

Qusra is also emerging against the backdrop of the deadly July 24 confrontation in Tell, a Palestinian town about 3 miles southwest of Nablus. Four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers were killed after a confrontation involving armed Israeli civilians, Palestinians and security forces. Palestinian authorities said settlers had come to attack residents. The Israeli military initially described the Israelis as hikers but later acknowledged that some were armed and said gunfire had come from both sides before troops intervened. Video reviewed by Reuters appeared to show Israelis pushing Palestinians with rifles before a Palestinian seized a weapon and was then apparently shot, although Reuters said it could not independently authenticate the footage. 

The aftermath included large-scale Israeli raids and questioning in Tell. The IDF said 80 people were questioned and 11 arrested, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a broader security response and his office said settlement construction in the area would be accelerated. 

For Foqaha, the events in Tell and Qusra form part of the same deteriorating security environment. 

“Escalation around Qusra and across the Nablus area cannot be separated from the deadly events in Tell two weeks ago, or from the broader pattern of settler violence and terrorism against Palestinian villages also in the Ramallah area or Southern Hebron,” he said. 

“Continued attacks on residents, and the seizure of privately owned land and attempts to take control of Palestinian homes are creating an unbearably dangerous situation,” he added. 

Foqaha blamed what he called the Israeli military’s failure to protect Palestinians, remove illegal outposts and hold attackers accountable. 

The assessment that the problem is becoming one of governance is not confined to Palestinian analysts. 

Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, delivered a stark criticism of Israeli authorities’ handling of violence by settlers, arguing that failure to confront violent factions among them could ultimately damage both Israel’s international position and the wider settlement enterprise. 

“The State of Israel has willingly, and with its eyes open, lost governance in the West Bank. The price will be high—not only vis-à-vis the international community, but mainly regarding the legal and consensual settlement project, and then vis-à-vis the US administration,” Michael told The Media Line. 

Using an Israeli expression about suffering the consequences of avoiding a difficult decision, Michael added: “We will eat the smelly fish and be thrown out of the city. We will have to suppress this growing radical and violent gang, dismiss reserve soldiers who cooperate with them, dismantle illegal outposts and farms, and pay the price. This is what I mean by ‘eating the smelly fish.’” 

The diplomatic cost Michael referred to has become increasingly visible. 

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, whose positions on Israeli settlements have historically put him closer to the Israeli right than many of his predecessors, issued an unusually severe denunciation of the events in Qusra. He called the siege a “horrific act of terror” and said US officials had asked Israeli authorities to remove those responsible. Reuters quoted him describing their actions as “criminal” and referring to those responsible as “Israeli terrorists.” 

US and Israeli officials also told Reuters that Washington wanted Netanyahu to condemn the siege publicly. 

The reaction comes against a broader rise in documented violence and displacement. In an Aug. 11 statement to the UN Security Council, the United Kingdom cited Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reporting of more than 1,300 settler-related incidents affecting more than 250 Palestinian communities. It separately noted that around 900 Palestinians had been injured and more than 3,200 displaced in the West Bank during 2026, while at least three Israelis had been killed and 24 injured. 

The displacement total includes Palestinians forced from their homes by settler attacks and related access restrictions, along with those displaced by demolitions carried out for lack of Israeli-issued building permits. A separate UN briefing delivered Aug. 11 placed the broader 2026 displacement total at about 3,800 Palestinians, nearly half of them children. The UN said settler attacks and related access restrictions had become the leading driver within those categories during 2026. 

London welcomed recent Israeli arrests and indictments connected to attacks by settlers but said substantially more was required to prevent attacks and prosecute those responsible. 

European governments have increasingly treated developments in Gaza and the West Bank as interconnected elements of the same diplomatic crisis. At their July meeting, EU foreign ministers expressed deep concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza and called for safe and unhindered humanitarian access. During the same discussion, they reiterated opposition to settlement expansion and attacks by settlers in the West Bank. 

The measures under discussion are intended to increase economic pressure on settlement activity rather than target trade with Israel as a whole. EU officials have considered a full or partial ban on imports originating in settlements, stricter export-licensing requirements and possible tariffs on settlement products. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the measures were directed at settlements and activities viewed by the EU as undermining the two-state solution, not against Israel generally. 

The result is a widening diplomatic problem for Netanyahu’s government: Disagreements with Washington now extend from the future of Gaza to the conduct of Israeli settlers and the effectiveness of Israeli law enforcement in the West Bank. 

“If Netanyahu does not change the policy and the reality on the ground, he will be dragged into a very problematic situation vis-à-vis the American administration, including President Trump, and that might even damage him in the election,” Michael said. 

Foqaha argued that Palestinian perceptions of the events go beyond individual settler attacks and increasingly concern the future political geography of the West Bank. 

“For Palestinians, these are not isolated incidents. They consider such incidents as only serving the agenda of extremist political forces in Israel and as the implementation on the ground of Smotrich’s plan to consolidate Israeli control over the West Bank, displace Palestinian communities, replace them with settlers and foreclose the possibility of a viable Palestinian state based on the two-state solution principle,” he said. 

He warned that continued confrontations over homes and agricultural land could transform localized violence into a wider clash. 

“If settler attacks and attempts to seize Palestinian homes and land continue, the situation could unfortunately develop into an open and much wider confrontation between Palestinian villagers and settlers. The Israeli army must act urgently to prevent this outcome, not by imposing further restrictions on Palestinian communities, but by preventing settler terrorism, protecting Palestinian villages and holding the perpetrators accountable.” 

One immediate challenge will come with the approaching olive harvest, when Palestinian farmers must reach agricultural land that in many areas lies close to Israeli settlements and outposts. 

“This is traditionally a sensitive period, when Palestinian farmers need access to their own land located near settlements and outposts and are frequently exposed to violent attacks. Without credible preventive measures, effective protection for farmers and unrestricted access to their groves, the situation could deteriorate rapidly,” Foqaha said. 

The IDF, for its part, said in its Aug. 12 statement that its response in Qusra was intended to prevent precisely such a recurrence. 

“The security forces will continue to operate firmly and responsibly to improve the situation in the area, uphold law and order, and prevent the recurrence of such incidents,” it concluded. 

Whether the measures taken in Qusra—and Katz’s proposal to shift civilian enforcement more clearly toward the police—produce a sustained change will carry consequences beyond the village itself. The violence around Nablus is increasingly straining relations between Palestinian communities and Israeli security forces, sharpening divisions inside Israel over settlement policy and law enforcement, and putting further pressure on Washington’s relationship with Netanyahu’s government.