Key facts
- Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the cancellation of the 1997 Hebron Protocol.
- The cancellation transfers planning and construction powers at a shrine in Hebron from the Palestinian Authority to Israeli authorities.
- The 1997 Hebron Protocol had granted Palestinians control over planning and construction in the city.
- The Palestinian Presidency condemned the move as a violation of international law and an infringement on Hebron's status.
- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) described the action as an attack on Palestinian rights, religious freedoms, and international law.
- Israeli rights group Peace Now called the move "dangerous and irresponsible" and based on an "apartheid principle."
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the cancellation of the 1997 Hebron Protocol, a move that effectively ends Palestinian Authority control over planning and construction powers at a Jewish and Muslim shrine in the occupied West Bank. Smotrich stated he had given the final sign-off late Monday to transfer these powers, affecting the religious site and a nearby Jewish settlement, to Israeli authorities.
Under the 1997 Hebron Agreement, Palestinians controlled planning and construction in the entire city. The international community does not recognize Israel's right to control the West Bank, which it captured in 1967. The Palestinian Presidency called the seizure of powers an "infringement upon the political and legal status of Hebron" and a violation of international law.
Smotrich, a settler himself, described the action as a "historic step" to deepen "Israeli sovereignty" in the West Bank. The decision was made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet in February as part of measures to increase Israeli enforcement powers in the territory. The move comes amid a rapid expansion of Israeli settlements, which has been accompanied by a rise in violence. Most countries consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be illegal, a view Israel disputes.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned the Israeli government's reported seizure of authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, describing the move as an attack on Palestinian rights, religious freedoms, and international law. CAIR stated the action was "yet another attempt to consolidate its illegal occupation of Palestinian land, undermine Palestinian self-governance, and alter the historic status of one of Islam's holiest sites." The group called on the international community to reject the escalation and urged governments to hold Israel accountable for actions that violate international law and harm prospects for peace.
Israeli rights group Peace Now criticized the government's decision to assume planning and construction powers from the Palestinian Municipality of Hebron in areas linked to Israeli settlements and religious sites in the city. In a statement, the group said the move was "dangerous and irresponsible" and accused finance minister Bezalel Smotrich of attempting to "win a few far-right votes" from National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Peace Now argued that the measure was "based on an apartheid principle" and would deepen Israeli control in occupied territory, weaken the Palestinian Authority and further undermine prospects for "a political agreement based on two states."