Hebron Mosque Control Shifts
Israel transfers administration of Hebron's Ibrahimi Mosque, drawing diverse reactions and security concerns.
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Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has seized control of one of the most contested holy sites on Earth. On June 16, 2026, he announced the end of the Palestinian Hebron Municipality's authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque — known to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs — in the heart of Hebron's Old City. AFP reported Smotrich called it "practical sovereignty," declaring that "absurd provisions" of the 1997 Oslo-era Hebron Protocol were finished.
The move immediately drew global condemnation and settler celebration. About 40,000 Palestinians live alongside roughly 200 Israeli settler families in the area around the site, Al-Monitor reports. Within days, Israeli crews removed a canopy from the mosque's courtyard, and the Muslim call to prayer was reportedly banned for five straight days.
A 1997 Peace Deal Torn Up Overnight
The 1997 Hebron Protocol split the city into two zones. The Palestinian Authority controlled 80% of Hebron, called H1. Israel held military control over the remaining 20%, called H2 — but Palestinians kept civil powers there, including planning and construction. That arrangement lasted nearly 30 years.
On June 15, Israel's Supreme Planning Council finalized the takeover in a closed-door session, according to JNS.org. Smotrich made it public the next day at the ribbon-cutting for a new settlement in the Hebron Hills. By June 17, Israel had already approved a 1,000-square-meter Jewish religious school near the Beit Romano settlement — the first project approved without any Palestinian municipal sign-off, Mondoweiss reported.
Settlers Celebrate as Palestinians Call It a 'Judaization Crime'
Israeli settler Nitzan, who now works at the site as a national parks employee, welcomed the shift. "It's a place all of humanity should visit to say thanks to Hashem," she told AFP. "We kind of visit our parents here." Pro-settlement outlets framed the move as removing red tape imposed by what they called a "terror-supporting" municipality.
Palestinians saw it very differently. The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf called the removal of the mosque's courtyard canopy a "Judaization crime" aimed at converting the site into a Jewish synagogue, Anadolu Ajansı reported. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas warned of a "dangerous escalation" and a "breach of international law," according to The New Arab.
Life Under Checkpoints: 'We Live in a Big Jail'
For Palestinians in H2, daily life was already heavily restricted before this latest move. Israeli checkpoints, gates, and military patrols cut across key streets. Palestinian activist Issa Amro told AFP: "We feel that we live in a big jail in Hebron. The checkpoints restrict movement so nobody from outside can come to our houses."
The approval of a new 1,000-square-meter yeshiva deep in the Old City is expected to bring more settlers and tighter security, squeezing Palestinian residents and businesses further. Smotrich also allocated 3 million shekels for "rehabilitation" of archaeological sites as part of the broader takeover, Middle East Monitor reported.
Israel's Own Foreign Ministry Pushes Back on Smotrich's Claims
Even within Israel, the move sparked friction. Smotrich declared the Hebron Agreement "canceled." But the Israeli Foreign Ministry quickly contradicted him. "Contrary to the Finance Minister's statement, the Hebron Agreement has not been canceled," a spokesperson said, according to i24NEWS. The ministry insisted only planning powers had shifted.
Legal analysts say the contradiction may be deliberate. By advancing facts on the ground while the Foreign Ministry downplays the change, Israel deflects international pressure while the situation shifts, according to Mondoweiss. Analysts from Peace Now call it a "blueprint for annexation" — dismantling Oslo not in one move, but through quiet administrative steps.
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