Netanyahu leads meeting on West Bank riots, Katz defends axing administrative detention for Jews
IDF's Central Command chief: Conventional solutions for hilltop youth insufficient • Israel Katz: Administrative detentions only increased hatred and violence
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a special meeting on Thursday focused on nationalist crime in the West Bank committed by Jewish settler extremists .
The discussion was divided into two main topics: Finding legal tools to combat Jewish riots in the West Bank , and identifying “educational solutions” to the issue. To this end, the directors-general of the Education and Welfare Ministries were invited.
The meeting included Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, and Education Minister Yoav Kisch.
Katz: Jewish administrative detention only increased hatred, violence
During the meeting, Katz made it clear that he opposes reinstating administrative detentions for Jewish rioters in the West Bank. “As time passes, I am increasingly convinced that canceling administrative detentions was the right step,” Katz said. “The detentions only increased hatred and violence.” Despite pressure from some officials to reauthorize administrative detentions, no decision was made on the matter.
Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth, head of the IDF's Central Command, emphasized that conventional solutions - especially educational ones - are insufficient. “These youths are not conventional,” Bluth said. “I don’t see any of them attending an educational institution that is accessible to them.”
