Katz ordered the change following a meeting on Thursday with IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir and other senior military officials.
The defence minister reportedly implied that the IDF’s job is to fight against terrorism and protect Israel’s borders rather than “chase youth in the hilltops”.
Katz stated that fighting settler violence in the West Bank “is not the role” of the IDF “nor is it capable of handling the enforcement of civil issues” there, given the “expected welcome increase in the number of settlers”, following the government’s approval of new settlements.
At the moment, the IDF can only temporarily detain Israeli citizens suspected of criminal activity in the West Bank, before turning them over to the Israel Police.
Administrative restraining orders can also be issued preventing violent settlers from entering specified areas.
Critics of the move have also raised concerns that the police force reports to the national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who himself lives in a settlement and has previously said that he supports Israeli annexation of the West Bank.