Israel Katz boasts of halting detention orders for settlers while permitting detention of Arabs

Jerusalem Post/Israel News/Israel Politics"Why didn't I sign for the settlers? Because that is not terrorism. Only someone who acts against the security of the state, someone who acts to harm [the state]," the defense minister said.Follow us on GooglePRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir attend the graduation ceremony of an IDF officers’ course in southern Israel, June 25, 2026.(photo credit: FLASH90)ByJERUSALEM POST STAFFJULY 29, 2026 11:34Updated: JULY 29, 2026 11:51Defense Minister Israel Katz boasted about signing administrative detention orders against Arabs in the West Bank, while refusing to sign orders against Jewish citizens.During a Tuesday Likud primaries conference in Ariel, Katz said that he did not believe that settlers commit terrorism in the West Bank."Not once did I sign for them [the settlers]. But who do I sign orders for? A lot. A lot. I sign for cases of Palestinian terrorism - suspects brought by the Shin Bet when it isn't yet possible to put them on trial. We hold them under administrative detention orders," Katz said."Why didn't I sign for the settlers? Because that is not terrorism. Only someone who acts against the security of the state, someone who acts to harm [the state]," he said."On my own initiative, as soon as I realized what was happening, I canceled all administrative detention orders against settlers in Judea and Samaria."Defense Minister Israel Katz attends a conference at Binyanei HaUma (Jerusalem International Convention Center) in Jerusalem, June 17, 2026. (credit: OREN BEN HAKOON/FLASH90)"Every incident of violence in Judea and Samaria was processed as terrorist activity. Therefore, they could hold people without a trial, without charges, without evidence, and without rights - handling and interrogating them just like terrorists, said the defense minister," he said."I called the former head of the Shin Bet and notified him: 'It is canceled. There will be no more of this.' And that is exactly what happened."Defense Minister holds sole authority to sign administrative detention ordersUnder Israeli law, the defense minister holds the sole authority to sign administrative detention orders, allowing individuals to be detained indefinitely without formal charges or trial.Katz made a decision in January 2025 to end administrative detention for Jews, while continuing it for over 3,200 Palestinians.Notably, there were never many Jews in administrative detention, and they were generally only held for three to six months at a time.Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.Follow us on Google