Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the withdrawal of key municipal planning authorities from Hebron's Palestinian administration on Tuesday, a move that dismantles provisions established under the 1997 Hebron Agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Smotrich, who also serves as a minister within the Defense Ministry, made the announcement during the inauguration of the Doreen illegal settlement on Mount Hebron, Israel's Channel 12 reported.
"Smotrich announced the completion of procedures to annul the civil planning and construction provisions of the 1997 Hebron Agreement,” the channel said.
Smotrich claimed the Supreme Planning Council of Judea and Samaria (the biblical term used by Israel for the occupied West Bank) approved resolutions stripping the Palestinian municipality of Hebron of its planning powers in those areas.
The move represents "the implementation phase of a process that began months ago, with the approval of Israel’s Security Cabinet at Smotrich's initiative,” the channel said.
Under the Hebron Agreement – signed as part of the Oslo Accords – the city was divided into a Palestinian-controlled sector, H1, and a sector under Israeli security control, H2.
Despite Israel's security control over H2, the Palestinian municipality of Hebron retained certain civil powers in the area, including issuing planning and construction permits and developing infrastructure.
The Israeli decision effectively severs the Palestinian municipality's planning jurisdiction – including over the city's holy sites, most notably the Ibrahimi Mosque – and transfers full authority to Israel, according to the channel.
"For many years, one of the most absurd provisions of the Oslo Accords remained in effect – the administrative powers over the Jewish settlement bloc in Hebron and its holy sites were tied to the Palestinian municipality of Hebron,” Smotrich said.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry acknowledged the move, but denied that it had canceled the 1997 Hebron Protocol.
"Contrary to what the finance minister stated, the Hebron Agreement has not been canceled,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry claimed that the decision was taken after "years of a complete lack of cooperation by the Hebron municipality."
"Apart from this, no other changes have been made,” it added.
In February, Israel's Security Cabinet approved a package of resolutions aimed at fundamentally reshaping the legal and civil landscape of the occupied West Bank to entrench the Israeli occupation.
The official state broadcaster KAN reported at the time that the resolutions – advanced by Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz – included the repeal of Jordanian law barring the sale of Palestinian land to Jews in the West Bank, as well as the transfer of construction licensing powers in Hebron from the Palestinian municipality to the Israeli Civil Administration.
Palestinians say Israeli forces and occupiers carry out daily systematic violations, including killings, arrests, destruction and demolition of structures and homes, land leveling, forced displacement and illegal settlement expansion.
They warn that these actions pave the way for Israel to formally annex the occupied West Bank, effectively eliminating the prospect of an independent Palestinian state – a goal enshrined in multiple U.N. resolutions.
- Serious breach
The Palestinian Authority denounced the Israeli move as "a direct assault” on Hebron's political and legal status and the bilateral agreements signed in its regard, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.
In a statement, the authority called the unilateral Israeli measure "a violation of signed agreements with Israel, international legitimacy and international law -- which prohibits altering the status quo of Palestinian territory under occupation.”
It called on the international community -- and the US in particular -- to intervene immediately to compel Israeli authorities to reverse "an extremely dangerous step” that undermines the political process, the two-state solution and international efforts to achieve security and stability in the region.
Hebron Mayor Yusuf al-Jabari told Anadolu that Smotrich's actions are part of a broader effort to "annul all agreements”, despite the fact that the Hebron agreements and protocol were signed under international auspices, with US participation.
He said the agreements constitute "a political framework governing Hebron's administrative, security and service arrangements,” adding that any unilateral tampering with or modification of them outside existing international understandings amounts to "a serious breach” with far-reaching consequences on the ground.
Al-Jabari stressed that any change to these understandings demands "urgent intervention by the international community.” He called on the US administration to "fulfill its responsibilities as a co-sponsor of the agreements and press to preserve the status quo in Hebron and prevent any unilateral measures.”
He emphasized that the Hebron municipality "cannot be bypassed or ignored under any circumstances,” stressing that "local powers in the city must remain intact across all areas -- including H1, H2, the Ibrahimi Mosque and the Old City of Hebron.”
Al-Jabari warned that any encroachment on those powers "would effectively alter the nature of the status quo” in the city, with potential negative repercussions for municipal services, local governance and residents' daily lives.
He affirmed that the municipality would continue operating and providing services to residents across all areas -- including closed zones, the Ibrahimi Mosque and the Old City.
The mayor said the municipality would intensify outreach to international partners -- including UNESCO, the US administration and other allies -- to press for a halt to Israeli decisions concerning Hebron and to preserve existing agreements.
In 2017, Palestine inscribed Hebron's Old City and the Ibrahimi Mosque on UNESCO's World Heritage and World Heritage in Danger lists.
