Smotrich Announces End to Hebron Planning Provisions from 1997 Accord

Finance Minister and Defense Ministry Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Tuesday that Israel has completed the process of canceling the civilian planning and building clauses of the 1997 Hebron Agreement. He made the announcement at the inauguration ceremony for the new settlement of Doran in the South Hebron Hills, saying the step had been finalized the previous night.

According to Smotrich, Israel's Civil Administration Higher Planning Council in Judea and Samaria approved the practical decisions that strip the Palestinian Hebron municipality of its planning authority in these areas. The move was the implementation stage of a policy change that the security cabinet approved several months ago at Smotrich's initiative.

The Hebron Agreement, part of the Oslo Accords, divided the city into Palestinian-controlled H1 and Israeli security-controlled H2. Until now, even in H2, the Palestinian municipality retained some civilian powers, including planning approvals and infrastructure development. The new decision removes that planning connection to the Jewish community in Hebron and to the city's holy sites, especially the Cave of the Patriarchs, and transfers full responsibility to Israeli state authorities.

Smotrich said the change was more than administrative. “For many years one of the most absurd clauses of Oslo remained in place, with authority over the Jewish community in Hebron and the holy sites dependent on the Hebron municipality. Yesterday we put an end to it. This is much more than a planning step, this is a historic correction. We are continuing to strengthen governance and deepen Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” he said.