Israel's foreign ministry pushes back on Smotrich's claim that the Hebron agreement was canceled

Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs pushed back Tuesday against Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's claim that Israel had canceled the Hebron Agreement, saying no such cancellation occurred.

"Contrary to the finance minister's statements, the Hebron Agreement was not canceled," the ministry said on X. It said a political-security cabinet decision made months ago already addressed planning and construction authority in the Jewish settlement in Hebron and at Jewish heritage sites, citing a complete lack of cooperation from the Hebron municipality for years. "Beyond that, no change has occurred," the ministry said.

Smotrich had declared earlier Tuesday that Israel completed a major move to strip the Palestinian-run Hebron municipality of planning and construction powers over the Jewish enclave. He made the announcement at a cornerstone ceremony for the new West Bank settlement of Doran: "Yesterday, we canceled the Hebron agreements."

Under the 1997 Hebron Protocol, signed by PM Benjamin Netanyahu and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, certain planning and construction actions in Jewish Hebron required approval from the Palestinian-run Hebron municipality. The new decision transfers those powers fully to Israeli authorities.

The office of PA President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the announcement, warning the move was "harmful to the political and legal status of the city of Hebron and to the signed agreements concerning it." The PA called unilateral measures of this kind a violation of signed agreements and international law, urging the US and international community to "intervene immediately" to stop what it described as "this most dangerous step."