Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the withdrawal of key municipal planning authorities from Hebron's Palestinian administration on Tuesday, a move that dismantles provisions established under the 1997 Hebron Agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Smotrich, who also serves as a minister within the Defense Ministry, made the announcement during the inauguration of the Doreen illegal settlement on Mount Hebron, Israel's Channel 12 reported.
"Smotrich announced the completion of procedures to annul the civil planning and construction provisions of the 1997 Hebron Agreement,” the channel said.
Smotrich claimed the Supreme Planning Council of Judea and Samaria (the biblical term used by Israel for the occupied West Bank) approved resolutions stripping the Palestinian municipality of Hebron of its planning powers in those areas.
The move represents "the implementation phase of a process that began months ago, with the approval of Israel’s Security Cabinet at Smotrich's initiative,” the channel said.
