Israel security cabinet approves greater Israeli control of Judea & Samaria, including Tomb of Patriarchs

Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Sunday that the security cabinet had approved measures aimed at strengthening Israeli control over the territories of Judea and Samaria. 

The changes were formulated under the leadership of the Settlement Administration in the Ministry of Defense and are intended to remove previous regulatory barriers for land purchases, repeal Jordanian-era legislation against Jewish land ownership, and enable accelerated development of settlements. 

Minister Israel Katz said in a statement, “The decisions we approved today are an expression of a clear policy – ​​strengthening the Israeli grip on Judea and Samaria, strengthening settlement and ensuring our future in this land for generations.” 

“Judea and Samaria are the heart of the country, and strengthening them is a top-notch security, national and Zionist interest,” Katz continued. “This is a move that strengthens security, deepens the grip on the land and anchors the vision of settlement as an integral part of the Israeli government's policy.” 

Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, “We are normalizing life in Judea and Samaria, removing bureaucratic barriers, fighting on the ground, and deepening our grip throughout the Land of Israel. This is the appropriate Zionist answer to anyone who tries to weaken our grip on the land. We will continue to kill the idea of ​​a Palestinian state. We are here to stay, to build, and to be built.” 

One of the most significant changes concerns land management in the territories. Previously, the land registry in Judea and Samaria was confidential, which made purchases by private citizens difficult and allowed for fraud. However, the cabinet ordered the removal of confidentiality and the publication of the land registers, intended to increase transparency and make land purchases easier. 

Additionally, the Cabinet repealed a Jordanian-era law which prohibited the sale of real estate to non-Muslims. These two changes mean that Jews interested in purchasing land in Judea and Samaria no longer need to purchase land through registered companies or obtain special permits, making such purchases more like land purchases inside the Green Line. 

The security cabinet also decided to expand Israeli supervision and enforcement activities in areas A and B with regard to water violations, damage to archaeological sites, and environmental hazards. 

Under the Oslo II Accords, which were signed by Israel and the Palestinian Authority in 1995, Judea and Samaria were divided into three areas of jurisdiction. Area A is under full control of the PA, while the IDF maintains the ability to operate for counter terrorism purposes. Area B is under Palestinian civil control and Israeli security administration, while Area C is under full Israeli control. 

The plan announced why the Cabinet also transfers authority for building permits in the Hebron area from the Palestinian municipality of Hebron, to the State of Israel. This controversial move would include the area surrounding the Tomb of the Patriarchs, where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Leah are believed to be buried. The tomb has long been a site of dispute between Jews and Arabs. 

Under a previous agreement, approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 1997, called the Hebron Protocol, any construction changes in the Jewish settlement had to go through the Municipality and the Civil Administration. Following the cabinet’s decision, changes will only require approval from the security establishment. 

In practice, this will create an almost complete separation of the Jewish settlement inside Hebron from the Palestinian municipality. "It is proposed to grant the Hebron administration all the municipal powers required to take care of the Jewish settlers of Hebron," the cabinet decision said. 

The transfer of authority over the Jewish neighborhoods in Hebron will also cover the Tomb of the Patriarchs, including the tomb and a yeshivah next to it. These changes represent a significant change from the status quo, and an almost complete reversal of the Hebron agreement signed in 1997. 

Likewise, the cabinet decision aims to exercise authority over Rachel’s Tomb in the Bethlehem municipality, by creating “a dedicated municipal authority” in charge of the maintenance and cleaning of the site. 

Alongside these moves, the government announced the renewal of the Land Acquisition Committee, a body that has not been in operation for around 20 years. The reactivation of this body will allow the State of Israel to carry out a proactive purchase of land reserves for future generations. 

Critics are calling the changes a dangerous expansion of Israeli control which amounts to a de facto annexation. 

Haim Ramon, a former deputy prime minister and justice minister, said that the moves represent the latest attempts by Smotrich to impose a de facto annexation of Judea and Samaria. He warned, “The intention is to establish settlements everywhere, dismantle the Palestinian Authority, control 5 million Palestinians and turn us into a bi-national apartheid state. This government's intention is to make it irreversible, and the settlements in the heart of Arab communities will make the reality irreversible.” 

He also lamented the fact that several prominent members of the opposition, such as Avignon Lieberman and Naftali Bennett, also support the settlement project in Judea and Samaria. 

Following the announcement, the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) issued a statement on behalf of member states, condemning the security cabinet’s approval of the changes. 

In the statement, the OIC said that Israel’s “colonial settlement policy constitutes a war crime and a flagrant violation of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, foremost among which is Security Council Resolution 2334 and the legal opinion issued by the International Court of Justice.” 

#Statement | The Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, and Türkiye condemned in the strongest terms the illegal Israeli decisions and measures aimed at imposing unlawful Israeli sovereignty, entrenching settlement activity, and… pic.twitter.com/n0Yqguc96u

— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) February 9, 2026

The office of Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, also condemned the security cabinet’s decision in a statement. 

“These decisions also violate all agreements signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel, as well as international law and resolutions of international legitimacy, and constitute a blatant violation of the Oslo Accords and the Hebron Agreement,” the statement read.