Israelis living in Hebron will no longer be dependent upon the Palestinian Authority to manage sanitation, roads, and maintenance on holy sites among other day-to-day issues.
Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made the announcement on Tuesday that the Higher Planning Committee of the Civil Administration had made the final approvals. An initial announcement was made in February that broad changes for Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria would take effect giving greater control over building, planning, security and maintenance.
“This is far more than a planning step. This is a historic correction,” Smotrich stated. “We are continuing the revolution of regulating settlement, strengthening governance and deepening Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.” Smotrich also serves as a minister in the Defense Ministry in charge of Israeli civilian life.
Defense Minister Katz added that changes “are fulfilling the vision of the prophets. In every decision we advance, all one has to do is open the Bible and see the foundation.”
They made the announcement at an inauguration ceremony for Doran, a new development community located in the Southern Hebron Hills region.
Smotrich added that the decision grants the Israeli residents of Hebron the power to maintain holy sites such as the Maarat HaMachpela (Tomb of the Patriarchs & Matriarchs) without going through the bureaucratic process of dealing with the Palestinian Authority run Hebron Municipality. “Holy places, where the rock of our existence is located… are no longer in the hands of the terrorist municipality in Hebron, but are returning to the full responsibility of the State of Israel,” he said.
The Hebron Municipality is led by Mayor Tayseer Abu Sneineh who participated in the 1980 Beit Hadassah terrorist attack that killed six Israeli civilians and wounded dozens more. He was convicted and later released in a prisoner exchange deal. The Hebron Municipality has repeatedly expressed the desire to see all Jewish residents removed from the city. Hamas regularly wins in the Hebron city council elections.
“Anyone who looks out from Hebron hills over the coastal plain understands that Judea and Samaria are not a distant periphery. They are the security belt of the State of Israel,” Smotrich stated.
Eyal Gelman, the head of Israel’s Hebron city council called it “a historic decision.”
He stated, “Israel deepens its roots… lifting the honor of the entire nation. Planning authority returns to the hands of the Israeli nation, something we haven’t had since the disastrous Hebron Accords. These powers will allow the Hebron local council to build and expand in the city of the founding fathers and mothers,” he added.
In 1997 the Hebron Accords divided the city with 80% being assigned to the PA, called H1, and the other 20% being assigned to Israel, called H2. PA residents also live in the H2 side, but Israelis are forbidden from entering H1. Within H2, Israeli residents are restricted to only the Israeli neighborhoods which comprise about 3% of the total city.
This posed problems when issues like sewage, water leaks, electrical outages or any maintenance was needed. Over the years, the Hebron Municipality attempted to block the creation of handicapped access to the Maarat HaMachpela and tried to prevent roofing over the site to prevent rain damage.
The Foreign Ministry clarified that “several months ago, the Security Cabinet adopted a decision that specifically concerns jurisdictions in the field of planning and construction with regard to the Jewish community in Hebron and Jewish heritage sites. This decision was made following years of a complete lack of cooperation on these matters by the Hebron Municipality.” However the rest of the 1997 Hebron Accords will remain in place.
That February decision also affect Rachel’s Tomb on the outskirts of Bethlehem. While the site attracts numerous Jewish worshipers daily, the jurisdiction fell under the Palestinian Authority-run Bethlehem municipality, where Jews are forbidden to enter. The new directorate will allow Israeli jurisdiction over “waste removal, traffic sign placement, gardening, and more.”
The Foreign Ministry clarified that “several months ago, the Security Cabinet adopted a decision that specifically concerns jurisdictions in the field of planning and construction with regard to the Jewish community in Hebron and Jewish heritage sites. This decision was made following years of a complete lack of cooperation on these matters by the Hebron Municipality.” However the rest of the 1997 Hebron Accords will remain in place.
That February decision also affect Rachel’s Tomb on the outskirts of Bethlehem. While the site attracts numerous Jewish worshipers daily, the jurisdiction fell under the Palestinian Authority-run Bethlehem municipality, where Jews are forbidden to enter. The new directorate will allow Israeli jurisdiction over “waste removal, traffic sign placement, gardening, and more.”
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