Israel to reinforce West Bank with Border Police company — Jerusalem Post

The Israel Defense Forces have decided to assign an additional Border Police company to the Judea and Samaria Division, which operates in the West Bank. The unit will specialize in countering nationalist-motivated crimes and is expected to begin special operational missions in areas with elevated levels of violence at the end of November, the Jerusalem Post reports.

The company began training in August and will operate under the army's personnel quotas. According to the Israeli military's assessment, the new unit will be able to respond more swiftly to incidents of violence, including by using data collected by the Israel Police and the Shin Bet security service.

Defense minister's position

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that an Israel Police unit in Judea and Samaria should be responsible for preventing, investigating and bringing to justice those responsible for serious violence by a small group of Jewish rioters. According to him, the army should not engage in civilian law enforcement, as its task is to fight Palestinian terrorism and protect the borders and Jewish communities.

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Katz also reiterated that he does not intend to restore administrative detentions. In August, he announced a proposal to transfer to the police powers to counter the extremist activity of Jewish activists; however, according to the publication, the initiative was not coordinated with a number of relevant military bodies.

Lack of police resources

In August, Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir had already ordered the Judea and Samaria Division to be reinforced with two additional battalions. This decision was linked to an increase in the number of remote farms and new settlements, as well as growing friction between Israelis and Palestinians, incidents of violence and property damage.

At the same time, military command officials criticize police leadership for insufficiently reinforcing the Judea and Samaria police district with personnel and resources. A security forces representative noted that the police could increase the number of patrol cars and investigators in the district.