Religious Zionism's behavioral record in power: the Defense-Ministry memorandum transferring authority over most West Bank civil affairs (COGAT / Civil Administration — land, planning, 'state land' declarations, settlement 'legalization', the new 'Settlement Administration') to party leader Bezalel Smotrich as 'additional minister' — implementing, per Adalah, the Religious Zionist Party's "Israeli sovereignty" / de-facto-annexation agenda. Powers list documented verbatim by Adalah; transfer formalized Feb 2023 (coalition agreement Dec 2022); corroborated by The Washington Institute.

According to the memorandum, the Defense Minister will retain responsibility for military activities in the West Bank, while Smotrich will have authority over most civil matters. This includes directing policies for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) and civil administration in key areas including land management, planning, acquisition, and expropriation, the declaration of land as ‘state land,’ the ‘legalization’ of settlements, agricultural farms, energy regulation, water connections in settlements in Area C, the process through which Palestinians in Area C may apply for building permits from Israel, access to cellular networks in settlements, transportation, archaeological excavation licensing, municipal jurisdiction, and the management of holy sites. For this purpose, a separate ‘civilian’ system named the “Settlement Administration” was established within the Israeli governing system in the West Bank, entrusted with implementing the powers of Minister Smotrich, along with leading and implementing the "Equal Citizenship" reform, aimed at improving the governmental services provided to Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

[Source is in English; this field holds editorial context, not a translation.] Behavioral conduct-axis record of the Religious Zionist Party (regional-stance / palestinian-question / democracy / civil-liberties). Under the December 2022 coalition agreement and a Defense-Ministry "memorandum of understanding and division of responsibilities," party leader Bezalel Smotrich — Finance Minister and an additional minister in the Defense Ministry — was granted authority over most civilian affairs in Area C of the occupied West Bank, exercised through a new "Settlement Administration" (the quoted passage lists the transferred powers). The transfer was formalized in February 2023; Adalah obtained the memorandum and published this analysis on 25 March 2024.

Adalah's legal director, Dr. Suhad Bishara, stated that the arrangement "is intended to implement the explicit agenda of the Religious Zionist Party to 'implement Israeli sovereignty' in the occupied West Bank," deepening de facto annexation and expanding the settlement enterprise; Adalah characterizes it (its legal opinion) as facilitating war crimes, the crime of apartheid, and acts of aggression through de facto annexation. A concrete consequence Adalah cites: Smotrich's declaration of 800 hectares (1,977 acres) of the occupied West Bank as "state land" (March 2024). The Washington Institute corroborates that Netanyahu transferred significant control over West Bank civil affairs to Smotrich, and notes that "Smotrich's Religious Zionist Party strongly supports legislation to thwart the high court's independence" (a separate democracy-axis behavioral marker). [Axes: regional-stance, palestinian-question, democracy, civil-liberties, federalism.]