Israeli Defense Minister boasts of fostering settler 'revolution' in West Bank

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has boasted about his role in fostering a "settler revolution" in the occupied West Bank. In an electoral video, Katz took credit for the establishment of 104 new settlements, which are illegal under international law, and the expansion of Israeli colonial presence in the occupied Jordan Valley.

Katz also highlighted what he described as the "evacuation of about 40,000 residents from the terrorist camps of Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams," leaving the Israeli Defense Forces in these areas. These residential areas in the northern West Bank were home to descendants of Palestinians displaced during the 1948 Nakba.

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The revolution of the settlements in Judea and Samaria

Further achievements listed by the minister include the cancellation of administrative detention orders for settlers and the establishment of military bases in the northern West Bank. In late 2024, Katz abolished administrative detention for settlers in the occupied West Bank. This measure, which allows for prolonged detention without formal charges or judicial review, is typically applied only to Palestinians. As of July 2026, Israel held approximately 9,300 Palestinians without trial, with 3,244 under administrative detention, according to Israeli NGO Gisha.

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Evacuation of about 40,000 residents from the terrorist camps of Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams, leaving the Israeli Defense Forces in said camps.