Israel has formally taken control over planning and construction for the Ibrahimi Mosque (also known as the Cave of the Patriarchs) in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, stripping the Palestinian Authority of its authority. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich confirmed the move on June 17, declaring the cancellation of parts of the 1997 Hebron Agreement that had granted the Hebron city council planning, zoning, and building powers over the city's H2 sector.
Hebron has been the most volatile city in the West Bank for years. Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, warned that any step to alter existing agreements to tighten the occupation is “extremely dangerous.” Under the Hebron deal, the city was divided into H1 (80% of the area, under Palestinian control) and H2 (the remaining 20%, including the Ibrahimi Mosque and the Old City) where Israel holds security control but Palestine retained citywide planning authority.
The Ibrahimi Mosque is a holy site for all three Abrahamic faiths, believed to house the tombs of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their wives. Muslims built the mosque in the 14th century, while Jews call it the Cave of the Patriarchs. Hebron’s Old City is a UNESCO World Heritage site of Palestine. Several hundred Jewish settlers live among tens of thousands of Palestinians in the H2 area.
Smotrich, a far-right politician, hailed the move as a “historic step” to strengthen “Israeli sovereignty” in the West Bank. The decision came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet earlier this year approved measures easing settler land purchases and expanding Israeli enforcement authority in the territory. Over 700,000 Israeli settlers now live on Palestinian land in the West Bank, and settler attacks on Palestinians have surged, with 13 Palestinians killed since the start of 2026, according to UN data.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's office called the move an “infringement on Hebron’s political and legal status” and a violation of international law. Hebron Mayor Yousef al-Jabari described it as “a racist decision aimed at stripping the municipality of its authority.” Israel's Foreign Ministry, seeking to avoid international backlash, said the Hebron Agreement was not fully canceled—only the planning powers concerning settlements and Jewish religious sites had been transferred.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned Israel's takeover of the mosque's management as “an effort to entrench the illegal occupation, undermine Palestinian self-rule, and alter the historic status of one of Islam’s holiest sites.” UN agencies and most nations view Israeli settlements as illegal under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
The move comes as Israel prepares for parliamentary elections in late October, with Smotrich—who represents the settler lobby pushing for West Bank annexation—seeking to bolster his political standing. Israel has previously sparked similar controversy at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, with eviction orders, restrictions on worshippers, and security measures criticized as a tightening of control.
