Smotrich Announces Cancellation of Hebron Agreements and Transfer of Authorities to Israel

SadaNews: The far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that he has canceled the Hebron agreements.

Israeli Channel 14 reported that during the announcement of the establishment of the "Doran" settlement in Hebron, Smotrich revealed that the process of withdrawing all planning and construction authorities granted to the Hebron municipality under the Hebron agreement was completed yesterday.

He stated that this step was undertaken following a ministerial decision approved several months ago, and after the Higher Planning Council made the necessary decisions to finalize it last night.

According to his office, this decision means that the planning and construction authorities in the Hebron settlements and holy sites, including the Ibrahimi Mosque, are no longer under the control of the Hebron municipality but have become the responsibility of Israel.

Smotrich announced during his speech: "We canceled the Hebron agreements yesterday. For many years, one of the most controversial provisions of Oslo remained in effect, where authorities related to Jewish settlements in Hebron and holy places depended on the Hebron municipality. We put an end to that yesterday."

The Hebron Agreement..

This protocol was signed between the Palestinian and Israeli sides in 1997, resulting in the division of the city into two areas.

The "H1" area includes the larger part of the city and is fully managed by the Palestinian Authority.

Meanwhile, the "H2" area is under Israeli control and covers the old town and Ibrahimi Mosque, accounting for about 20% of the city's area.