Smotrich cancels Hebron Protocol, ending Palestinian control in occupied city

Smotrich cancels Hebron Protocol, ending Palestinian control in occupied city Submitted by Ayse Betul on Tue, 06/16/2026 - 12:12 Amid intensifying military raids in the city, revoking the 1997 protocol gives the Israeli state full construction control over Hebron's key sites, such as Ibrahimi Mosque Israeli soldiers keep watch during a weekly settlers' tour in Hebron, 13 June 2026 (Mussa Qawasma/Reuters) Off Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Monday that the “Hebron Agreements were cancelled”, a move that strips the Palestinian Hebron Municipality of its authority over construction projects in the occupied West Bank city. “For many years, one of the most absurd clauses of the Oslo Accords remained in place, when authorities related to the Jewish settlement in Hebron were dependent on Hebron's terror municipality,” Smotrich said during an inauguration ceremony for a new illegal settlement in the southern Mount Hebron area. The decision was finalised Monday night by Israel’s Higher Planning Council, which oversees construction in parts of the occupied West Bank, following a security cabinet decision approved in principle on 8 February with Smotrich’s efforts.