Hebron’s Jewish settlement expanded further on Tuesday, after authorities approved a long-delayed building permit for dormitories for the Shavei Hebron yeshiva in the middle of the Arab market. The decision came a day after the Settlement Administration, led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, canceled the Hebron Accords.
The new building will rise in the Arab neighborhood and near the historic Beit Romano complex, adding more than 1,000 square meters of construction. According to the approved plan, two additional floors will be built for a total of 1,027 square meters, with space for 120 beds to ease severe overcrowding among the yeshiva’s students.
The permit ends an 18-year period of delays and legal and political obstacles. The report said the breakthrough became possible after structural changes Smotrich introduced in the Civil Administration over recent years, which removed long-standing freeze barriers that had blocked settlement expansion.
Shavei Hebron is described as a Zionist and religious stronghold in the city. It currently has more than 450 students and about 3,000 alumni active in religious, public and security fields. Although the site was allocated to the yeshiva in September 2025, the latest approval now allows construction work to begin soon. Settlement figures called it a historic day for Hebron and for Israel, saying the new building is the Zionist answer and proof that “Hebron is returning to grow, be built and develop.”
