Jerusalem, November 4, 2025 — Israeli defense officials authorized the use of electronic monitoring bracelets to enforce restraining orders in the West Bank, a move widely seen as a crackdown on Jewish extremist activity in the territory. The decision comes amid a sharp increase in violence perpetrated by settlers against Palestinians and Israeli security forces.
New Surveillance Tool Aims to Curb Settler Violence
The move replaces a controversial practice of indefinite detention without charges.
- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will use electronic bracelets to monitor individuals subject to restraining orders in the West Bank.
- The measure is intended to replace administrative detention for Jewish suspects, a practice halted last year.
- A surge in settler violence—752 incidents in 2025—prompted the new policy.
- Critics argue the bracelets represent an undemocratic infringement on civil liberties.
IDF Central Command head Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth signed the order authorizing the use of the technological monitoring devices, according to a joint statement released Monday by the military and Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency. The bracelets will allow authorities to track violations of restraining orders issued to individuals in the West Bank.
Q: What prompted Israel to adopt electronic monitoring in the West Bank?
A: A significant increase in attacks by Jewish extremists on Palestinians and IDF troops, coupled with a desire to move away from the practice of administrative detention, led to the implementation of this new surveillance measure.
The move is intended to supplant administrative detention—the practice of holding suspects without charge when authorities believe revealing evidence would compromise national security. Last year, the government decided to cease detaining Jewish suspects under this controversial procedure. However, thousands of Palestinians remain in administrative detention, according to rights groups.
While Monday’s statement did not specify who would be subject to the electronic monitoring, the measure appears targeted at extremist settler activists, often referred to as “hilltop youth.” This follows reports in November that Shin Bet chief David Zini recommended approving the use of electronic monitoring bracelets on extremist settlers, viewing it as more effective than existing restraining orders that simply bar suspects from entering certain areas of the West Bank.
According to security agencies, the decision followed directives from Israel’s political leadership and involved coordinated efforts between the IDF, Shin Bet, Israel Police, Justice Ministry, and the legal advisor for the West Bank.
The order authorizes authorities to mandate the installation of “technological monitoring measures” on individuals under administrative orders restricting their movement in the West Bank, and to monitor any violations of those orders. Officials emphasized that breaching the restraining orders or damaging the monitoring equipment would be considered a criminal offense, potentially leading to prosecution.
The Honenu legal aid organization, which frequently represents suspects affiliated with the hilltop youth, announced its intention to appeal the order. The organization reported that a teenage minor in the West Bank had already been fitted with a tracking bracelet after being taken to a police station for the procedure.
In a statement, Honenu lawyers representing the minor described the measure as “a draconian and undemocratic step that recalls the behavior of dark regimes that track citizens.”
2025 witnessed a significant surge in attacks by settler extremists on Palestinians and their property throughout the West Bank. The Israel Defense Forces recorded at least 752 incidents of nationalistic crime and settler violence during the calendar year, compared to 675 incidents in 2024. These attacks, occurring almost daily, often go unchecked, with prosecutions of Jewish extremists being rare and convictions even rarer. Critics have accused the current government—described as the most hardline in Israel’s history—of largely ignoring the escalating violence.
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