Large Hebron yeshiva approved for construction, day after Smotrich gave Israel more power in flashpoint West Bank city

The construction of a large new yeshiva building in the Jewish settlement in Hebron is approved by the Civil Administration, a department of the Defense Ministry.

The move comes a day after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also serves as a minister in the Defense Ministry, announced that Israel had removed zoning, planning and construction authority in the H2 zone of Hebron from the Palestinian Hebron municipal authority and transferred it to the Civil Administration’s Higher Planning Council, in apparent violation of the 1997 Hebron agreement with the Palestinians.

The H2 zone includes the Jewish settlement in the city and the Tomb of the Patriarchs, a holy shrine for Jews and Muslims.

According to Smotrich, the Higher Planning Council approved the construction of a 1,000-square-meter yeshiva building for the Shavei Hebron Yeshiva, which is currently located in different premises in the settlement near where the new building will be built.

The Higher Planning Council also approves through different planning stages the construction of 456 new housing units in the settlement of Mitzpe Yeriho, and 120 in the Elmatan settlement.

“We are continuing to build the Land of Israel on the ground, and to implement sovereignty in the settlements in practice,” declares Smotrich.

“Bringing thousands of new residents to Mitzpe Yeriho, and constructing a new building for the Shavei Hebron Yeshiva in the city of the patriarchs, are both exciting and important. This is a national move that solidifies our hold on the territory, strengthens Israel’s security, and establishes clear facts that prevent the establishment of an Arab terrorist state in the heart of the country.”

As a minister in the Defense Ministry, Smotrich controls the Civil Administration and has driven forward the approval of tens of thousands of new housing units in the settlements.