Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Friday ordered the military to formulate a plan to transfer civilian law enforcement authority in the occupied West Bank to the Israeli police. The move was strongly condemned by Palestinian politicians and analysts, who described it as a dangerous acceleration of Israel's illegal annexation of the area and its promotion of apartheid and ethnic cleansing. Both Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) issued statements calling the move "de facto annexation" and a blatant violation of international agreements.