A Palestinian official has described Israel’s latest expansion of control in the West Bank as a brutal blow to peace efforts, raising concerns over the future of negotiations between the two sides.
Changes to Authority in the West Bank
Israel’s security cabinet recently approved major changes to the governance of the West Bank, altering arrangements established under the Oslo Accords, signed three decades ago.
Key measures include:
- Expanding Israeli authority into areas previously administered by Palestinian authorities, including municipal services.
- Granting broad powers over what Israel terms “heritage sites”, citing protection of water, environmental, and archaeological resources.
- Transferring management of sites such as Rachel’s Tomb, currently overseen by the Bethlehem municipality, to a newly created Israeli authority.
Palestinian Response
Asma al‑Sharabati, acting mayor of Hebron, described the new legal framework as effectively ending meaningful Palestinian participation in planning and development, even in areas nominally under their control.
“This marks the end of any meaningful negotiations,” al‑Sharabati said in an interview with British radio.
Hebron remains one of the most volatile cities in the West Bank, with Israeli soldiers guarding several hundred Israeli settlers living in fortified enclaves alongside Palestinian residents.
Settlements and Regional Context
- Over 700,000 Israeli settlers currently live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
- Israel annexed East Jerusalem after the 1967 Middle East War, a move not recognized internationally.
- Palestinians seek the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem for a future independent state.
- The international community largely considers settlements illegal under international law.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing elections later this year, has consistently argued that a Palestinian state would endanger Israel’s security.