Israeli hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has announced that Israel has revoked the Hebron municipality’s civil planning and construction powers in areas covered by the 1997 Hebron Agreement, a move Palestinians say undermines existing accords and deepens Israeli control in the occupied West Bank.
Tuesday’s announcement came during the inauguration of the illegal Israeli settlement of Doreen in the Mount Hebron area, according to Israeli media reports.
The move essentially means Palestinians have also lost municipal authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque in the occupied West Bank.
The move to transfer management of the site to an Israeli committee controlled by the far-right minister, drew swift condemnation from the Palestinian Authority.
Smotrich, who also serves as a minister within the Defence Ministry, said Israeli authorities had completed procedures to transfer planning authority from the Palestinian municipality to Israeli bodies.
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The decision affects powers retained by the municipality under the Hebron Agreement, signed as part of the Oslo process, which divided the city into the Palestinian-administered H1 sector and the Israeli-controlled H2 sector.
Although Israel maintained security control over H2, the Palestinian municipality continued to exercise certain civil authorities, including planning, construction permits and infrastructure development.
Palestinians warn of breach of agreements
