Katz announces task force, social programs aimed at curbing settler violence toward Israeli troops

Following an emergency meeting with top security officials last night, Defense Minister Israel Katz announces a series of measures aimed at curbing settler violence against Israeli troops and security forces in the West Bank.

“We will not allow or accept such serious incidents in any form,” Katz said in the meeting, according to a Defense Ministry statement, vowing significant police enforcement and the creation of a joint task force led by the police in coordination with the IDF and Shin Bet to address the phenomenon.

The meeting came after a string of recent attacks by Jewish extremists, including a riot outside an army base and the arson of a nearby security installation. Senior IDF and police commanders, Shin Bet officials, and the Defense Ministry’s legal adviser attended the session.

While participants stressed that the majority of settlers and youth are not involved in such violence, they warned of a radical fringe deliberately targeting security forces and Palestinians, the statement says.

Katz also approved tens of millions of shekels for social programs aimed at integrating extremist settler activists into normative educational frameworks and said a follow-up meeting would be held in three weeks to assess progress.