Defense Minister Israel Katz said at a Likud primary event in Ariel that he signs administrative detention orders for Arab Israeli citizens involved in terrorism, but refuses to do so for Jewish Israeli citizens from Judea and Samaria, because he does not view their actions as terrorism. Katz said he opposes administrative detention for Jews as it is 'without trial, without representation, without rights,' but uses it extensively for Arab Israelis because he says they cannot be brought to trial, according to a report by Moriah Asraf and Doron Kadosh (N13 / Army Radio).
The remarks, made at a Likud primary event in Ariel on Tuesday evening, highlight a sharp distinction in the defense minister's approach to administrative detention — a tool that allows the state to hold suspects without trial. Katz said he has signed 'dozens' of administrative detention orders against Arab Israeli citizens who are involved in terrorism, asserting that the legal system cannot bring them to trial. In contrast, he stated he refuses to sign such orders against Jewish Israeli citizens from Judea and Samaria, whom he characterized as not engaged in terrorism, and described administrative detention for Jews as 'without trial, without representation, without rights.'
Katz's position aligns with his previous statements opposing the use of administrative detention against Israeli civilians in Judea and Samaria, as The Zioneer reported earlier this month. In a security assessment, Katz instructed the defense establishment to pursue alternative legal and security measures rather than renewing an administrative removal order against a Jewish resident. The defense minister has also overseen expanded IDF operations in Judea and Samaria, including the capture of refugee camps, while maintaining a policy of not using administrative detention against Jewish residents.
Administrative detention is typically used against Palestinian suspects, but has also been applied to Jewish extremists in the past. Katz's comments underscore a deliberate policy divergence: heavy use of the tool against Arab Israeli citizens involved in terrorism, while categorically ruling it out for Jewish Israeli citizens in Judea and Samaria on both legal and ideological grounds.
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