Israel Takes Control of Hebron's Tomb of Patriarchs, Violates Oslo Accord

Israel announced a unilateral transfer of urban‑planning authority for the Tomb of the Patriarchs (Abraham's Mosque) in Hebron to its own civil administration. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made the decision public on 16 June, saying Israel had cancelled the Hebron Protocol – a 1997 agreement derived from the Oslo Accords that required any changes to the site’s infrastructure to be approved jointly by Israeli civil authorities, the Palestinian Waqf and Palestinian officials.

The move ends the special “status‑quo” arrangement that had governed the holy compound, allowing Israel to proceed with alterations such as the installation of elevators, ramps, a gift shop and expanded Israeli flags. Palestinian authorities argue the step erodes the Islamic heritage of the site and undermines the two‑state solution. “They reject a two‑state solution. Israel believes that by annexing parts of the West Bank they will make a Palestinian state almost impossible,” said Hebron vice‑mayor Jaled Qawasmi. Alon Arad, director of the Israeli NGO Emek Shaveh, warned that the changes “violate the statu quo and the international community is clear that these modifications are illegal.”