Defense minister boasts of ceasing administrative detention for Jews, while increasing its use against Arabs

Defense Minister Israel Katz boasts of having ceased signing off on administrative detention orders against Jewish suspects, while significantly increasing the draconian tool — which allows for a suspect to be held without charge — against Arab suspects.

“I cancelled on my own initiative all administrative detention orders against settlers in the West Bank,” Katz says during a Likud campaign event in the Ariel settlement.

He says there were over 20 such orders on the books when he entered his post as defense minister in late 2024.

Katz acknowledges the severity of the order, saying that it allows Israeli authorities to detain people, “without a trial, without representation, without information and without [granting them any] rights.”

“I called the head of the Shin Bet at the time and informed him, that this (policy) was canceled,” he says to applause from the crowd.

“But on which administrative detention orders do I sign — And many of them. I sign (administrative detention orders for) incidents of Palestinian terror,” Katz says.

He adds that he also has approved the use of administrative detentions against Arab Israeli citizens, including Bedouins from the Negev allegedly involved in smuggling of drones and residents of the Galilee who are allegedly tied to terror groups.

“Why? Because this is terror activity. Why didn’t I sign against settlers? Because it’s not terror activity,” Katz claims.

שר הביטחון ישראל כ״ץ אומר לפני זמן קצר בכנס פריימריז של הליכוד באריאל, כי הוא חותם על צווי מעצר מנהליים לאזרחים ערבים-ישראלים מהפזורה הבדואית בנגב ומהגליל, אך מנגד – מסרב לחתום על צווים לאזרחים יהודים-ישראלים מיהודה ושומרון.
לדברי כ״ץ, פעולות המתיישבים הקיצונים ביו״ש אינן פעולות… pic.twitter.com/WAlNj9rOe1

— דורון קדוש | Doron Kadosh (@Doron_Kadosh) July 28, 2026