Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Friday morning that he has decided to stop the use of administrative arrest warrants against Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria.
In a meeting this week with Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, Katz informed him of his decision to stop using arrest warrants and asked him to put alternative tools in place.
Minister Katz said, "In a reality where the Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria are subject to serious Palestinian terrorist threats, with the support and backing of the Iranian axis of evil that is working to establish an eastern terrorist front against the State of Israel, and where unjustified international sanctions are being taken against settlers and organizations in the settlements - it is not appropriate for the State of Israel to take such a severe step against settlers."
He explained: "If there is suspicion that someone committed criminal acts, the perpetrators can be brought to justice, and if not, there are other preventive measures that can be taken other than administrative detention."
The minister emphasized,"I condemn any phenomenon of violence against Palestinians and of people taking the law into their own hands, and I also appeal to the settlement leadership to take a similar public stance and an unequivocal position on the issue."
"The IDF and other security and law enforcement agencies should be allowed to deal with Palestinian terrorism and violence and [civilians] should not take the law into their own hands," he concluded.
MK Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionism party) said in response, "I congratulate the incoming Defense Minister Israel Katz on a decision of unparalleled justice. The settlers in Judea and Samaria are not second-class citizens and practices intended for war against the enemy should be used exclusively for war against the enemy!"