Renovation and roofing work has begun at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron for the first time, following Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's decision to transfer planning authority from the Hebron municipality. The work includes a new ceiling, electrical, air conditioning, drainage, and lighting upgrades, according to Israeli media.
Work has begun on a major renovation and roofing project at the Tomb of the Patriarchs (Cave of the Patriarchs) in Hebron, following Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's decision earlier this week to strip the Palestinian-run Hebron municipality of planning authority over the site.
As The Zioneer reported Wednesday morning, the work includes installing a new ceiling over the complex, alongside extensive upgrades to electrical systems, air conditioning, drainage, and lighting. The project marks an unprecedented expansion of Israeli infrastructure at the site, which is the traditional burial place of the biblical patriarchs and matriarchs and is holy to both Jews and Muslims.
Smotrich, speaking at a tour of the site along with Settlements Minister Orit Strock and local officials, said: "This magnificent roofing, with air conditioning and a new electrical infrastructure that we are doing here now, is touching the deepest roots – why we are here and what we are fighting for."
Eyal Gelman, head of the Hebron Municipal Administration, said the roofing has been a goal for over 20 years, adding: "After years of dedication and unsuccessful attempts, we have merited to rise a level in the power of the national spirit."
The work follows Smotrich's assertion earlier this week that he had canceled any Palestinian civil authority over the site. The move is part of a broader push by the minister, who also oversees Israeli planning in Judea and Samaria, to assert full Israeli sovereignty over holy sites in Hebron.
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