Hebron, Palestinian Territories. Israel has transferred planning and construction powers at a Jewish and Muslim shrine in the occupied West Bank from Palestinian authorities, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Tuesday. The move scraps parts of an arrangement set under the 1997 Hebron Agreement.
Shift in authority at Hebron site
Under the 1997 Hebron Agreement, Palestinians controlled planning and construction across the entire city, including the Jewish Tomb of the Patriarchs and the adjoining Muslim Ibrahimi Mosque.
Smotrich said he gave final approval late on Monday for the transfer of planning and construction powers affecting the religious site and nearby Jewish settlers to Israeli authorities.
In a speech marking the establishment of a new Israeli settlement near Hebron, Smotrich described the move as a “historic step” that would deepen “Israeli sovereignty” in the West Bank.
Palestinian response
The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the seizure of powers an “infringement upon the political and legal status of Hebron” and said it violated international law.
Religious and historical significance
Jews believe the Cave of the Patriarchs is the burial place of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their wives. Muslims, who also revere Abraham, built the Ibrahimi Mosque, also known as the Sanctuary of Abraham, in the 14th century.
Hebron’s Old City is recognised as a Palestinian World Heritage site. Hundreds of Jewish settlers live among tens of thousands of Palestinians in parts of the ancient city that are under Israeli security control.
Wider West Bank measures
The Hebron decision follows earlier steps by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet to make it easier for settlers to buy land in the West Bank and to give Israeli authorities more enforcement powers in the territory.
Smotrich, who has said he wants to end the idea of Palestinian statehood in the West Bank, has supported a rapid expansion of Israeli settlements in the territory, alongside a rise in settler attacks on Palestinians.