Smotrich Says He Has Canceled Part of the Hebron Accords

Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich of Religious Zionism said Tuesday that a decision he made nullifies the planning and construction arrangements set in the Hebron Agreement. He said the move transfers authority over planning and building in the Jewish enclave in Hebron, and at holy sites in the city, back from Hebron municipality to the State of Israel.

Smotrich made the remarks at the inauguration ceremony for the settlement of Doran, presenting the step as a response to sanctions imposed on him, extremist settlers, and settlement organizations by various countries. He said the process completed a move that began with a cabinet decision approved in February and, in his account, ended at the Supreme Planning Council.

"Yesterday we canceled the Hebron Accords," Smotrich said. "For many long years one of the most absurd clauses of Oslo remained in place, when the powers concerning the Jewish community in Hebron and the holy places were dependent on the terrorist municipality of Hebron. Yesterday we put an end to it. This is much more than a planning step. This is a historic correction. We are continuing the revolution of regulating settlement, strengthening governance and deepening Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria."

The Hebron Agreement was signed in 1997 by the Netanyahu government and the Palestinian Authority as an interim step toward resolving the conflict. Hebron was the only city from which IDF forces did not withdraw in the first stage of post-Oslo II pullbacks. Since then, planning and construction powers were held by the Hebron municipality, except in rare cases of special political approval.

According to Smotrich, the change also covers historic sites including the Cave of the Patriarchs, the tomb of Abner ben Ner, the old Spanish cemetery, the Ashkenazi cemetery, and other sites in the Hebron area. He said that from now on, planning, development, preservation, access, and infrastructure can be advanced only through Israeli planning institutions, without dependence on the Hebron municipality.

At the start of February, ynet reported that Smotrich and Israel Katz were advancing a series of decisions to deepen de facto annexation in Judea and Samaria. Those steps, including the one concerning Hebron, are expected to bring major changes to land and purchase procedures in the territory, allowing the state to demolish Palestinian-owned structures in Area A.