Jewish residents of Hebron will now be able to buy property just like any other Israeli thanks to a new directive by the Israeli cabinet. Under a Jordanian era law, Jews were forbidden from buying homes and even after Israel regained the regions of Judea and Samaria, where Hebron is located, Jewish residents had to buy property through a company and undergo a convoluted bureaucratic process involving Defense Ministry approvals.
Eyal Gelman, mayor of the Hebron city council, praised the decision stating that it was the first time since the days of the Bar Kochba revolt against the Romans, 2,000 years ago, that sovereignty was being established in the Judea and Samaria regions.
“With these powers, the Hebron Local Council will be able to build, expand and strengthen the community in the City of the Ancestors,” he stated.
The Maarat HaMachpela (Tomb of the Patriarchs & Matriarchs) will also fall under Israeli jurisdiction, solidifying recently announced changes. This means the new roof, fire safety system and other maintenance will no longer be subject to PA approval which they sought to block. The nearby Tomb of Abner and other heritage sites can also undergo renovation without PA objection.
Arab residents of the Palestinian Authority can build unrestricted, which has led Hebron to become the largest and most industrialized city in the PA controlled areas with shopping malls, factories, and a stadium, while every purchase by Jewish residents is scrutinized and takes years.
The Israeli Hebron Local Council will also gain full municipal powers to be able to implement sanitation, road maintenance, landscaping, and other necessities without the difficulties of dealing with the PA run Hebron Municipality.
Similar powers will also be granted to Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem, which is also under PA control, allowing Israel to engage in normal maintenance of the holy site.
Since the Oslo Accords of 1993, which created the Palestinian Authority, the region has been divided into Areas A, B, and C, with Arab residents being under the jurisdiction of the PA. Israelis were banned from entering into PA areas and there have been many instances of water theft, environmental damage, and desecration of Jewish holy places and archeological sites. The new directive will allow Israel greater authority to enter into PA areas to stop such violations.
The YESHA Council, the municipal body of Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, praised the move saying it corrected a long-standing injustice.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said “we are committed to removing barriers, creating legal and civil certainty, and allowing settlers to live, build and develop on equal footing with every citizen of Israel.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said they were “normalizing life, removing bureaucratic barriers, and deepening our presence throughout the Land of Israel. The days are over when a ‘settler’ was a second-class citizen living under racist Jordanian laws.”
Israel Ganz, head of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council, applauded the decision stating, “an Arab could buy land, while a Jew could not. This discrimination should never have existed, and today it has finally been corrected.”
The PA condemned the decision saying it was part of the “occupation” and “a continuation of the comprehensive war” against them.
The Finance Ministry and Defense Ministry announced the changes on Sunday.
NOTES:
- Cabinet moves to change legal statuses in Judea and Samaria – Arutz 7
- Security Cabinet approves measures expanding Israeli control in West Bank – Jerusalem Post
- רגע לפני טיסת נתניהו: הקבינט אישר שורת החלטות דרמטיות להעמקת הסיפוח ביו”ש – YNet News
- Cabinet deepens West Bank control, reshaping land and authority – Ynet English
- Cabinet deepens Israel’s hold on Judea and Samaria – JNS news
- Official announcement by Maor Eyal Gelman
- Security cabinet okays ‘dramatic’ West Bank policy overhaul, deepening Israeli control – Times of Israel
OTHER ARTICLES ON THIS SUBJECT:
- Arab side of Hebron is thriving, high-tech and wealthy
- Hebron Arab who sold house to Jews sentenced to death
- Jews evicted from Hebron house they bought after government refuses to sign
- The extreme difficulty of a Jew buying a house in Hebron
- Hebron settlers evicted from house even after proving purchase – CNN
Brief timeline of modern Jewish Hebron
- 1929 – Hebron Massacre. Jews evicted
- 1931 – Jews return to Hebron
- 1936 – Arab revolt. Jews evicted again
- 1948 – Jordan invades. Jews banned from visiting
- 1967 – Six Day War. Hebron liberated
- 1968 – First Passover in liberated Hebron. Jewish community attempts renewal
- 1971 – Hebron pioneers leave city proper and move to newly established Kiryat Arba
- 1979 – Jews move into Beit Hadassah building in Hebron
- 1980s – Historic Jewish properties reinhabited such as Beit Romano, Avraham Avinu synagogue
- 1993 – Oslo Accords creates Palestinian Authority
- 1997 – Hebron Accords divides city, 80% PA, 20% Israel
