The Palestinian presidency has warned that a decision announced by the far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to revoke parts of the Hebron agreements represents a dangerous escalation that threatens the political and legal status of the occupied West Bank city.
The warning came on Tuesday after Smotrich announced the cancellation of planning and construction arrangements established under the Hebron Protocol, effectively stripping the Hebron municipality of authority over planning and construction in the city's Jewish settlement enclave and around religious sites, including the Ibrahimi Mosque. Under the move, those powers would be transferred to Israeli authorities.
In a statement, the Palestinian presidency said the measure constituted a violation of agreements signed with Israel and breached international law, which prohibits changes to the status quo in occupied Palestinian territory.
"The step affects the political and legal status of the city of Hebron and the bilateral agreements concerning it," the presidency said.
It described the measure as a unilateral action that undermines efforts to achieve a political settlement and called on the international community, particularly the United States, to intervene immediately and pressure Israel to reverse the decision.
The presidency warned that the move would further damage prospects for a two-state solution and undermine international efforts to achieve security and stability in the region.
Hamas also condemned the announcement, describing it as an unprecedented political and field escalation designed to consolidate Israeli control over Hebron and accelerate settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
In a statement, the group said the move formed part of a broader project aimed at imposing Israeli sovereignty over the occupied territory and legitimising settlements.
"It is a desperate attempt to expand control over Hebron and its surroundings as part of a colonial project aimed at imposing Zionist sovereignty over the entire West Bank," the Palestinian group said.
The movement stressed that such measures would not alter the historical or geographical reality of Hebron and called on Palestinians to strengthen their attachment to the land and intensify opposition to Israeli annexation and settlement plans.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad similarly warned of the dangerous consequences of the decision.
The group said transferring planning powers away from the municipality would not only weaken Palestinian authority in the city but also facilitate greater Israeli control over the Ibrahimi Mosque and other religious sites.
It argued that the move represented a further practical step towards the annexation of the occupied West Bank and formed part of broader efforts to displace Palestinians from their land.
The Hebron Protocol, signed in 1997 as part of the Oslo process, divided the city into areas under Palestinian and Israeli control and established arrangements governing security and municipal responsibilities.
Hebron is home to around 220,000 Palestinians and several hundred Israeli settlers living under heavy military protection in the heart of the city.
The Ibrahimi Mosque, known to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs, remains one of the most sensitive religious sites in the occupied West Bank and has long been a flashpoint for tensions.
Smotrich's announcement comes amid growing international concern over Israeli settlement expansion and repeated warnings from Palestinian officials that unilateral measures in the occupied territories threaten any remaining prospects for a negotiated political settlement.