Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the cancellation of the Hebron Protocol, ending the Palestinian Hebron Municipality's authority over planning and construction in parts of the occupied West Bank city.
Approved by Israel's Higher Planning Council, the decision transfers those powers to Israeli authorities. Hebron Mayor Yousef al-Jabari condemned the move as a violation of existing agreements and accused Smotrich of advancing settlement expansion and greater Israeli control over the city.
Signed in 1997 under the Oslo Accords, the Hebron Protocol divided the city between Palestinian and Israeli control. The decision comes amid intensified Israeli military operations and settler activity in Hebron.
