The Hamas Movement said that the statements and measures announced by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich regarding the city of al-Khalil represent a dangerous escalation in efforts to Judaize the occupied West Bank and a new attempt to impose political and on-the-ground realities that serve the agenda of annexation and settlement expansion.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Hamas said the steps unveiled by Smotrich are aimed at entrenching the occupation and strengthening Israeli control over Palestinian land, particularly in al-Khalil, one of the most historically and religiously significant Palestinian cities.

The statement came after Smotrich announced the cancellation of what is known as the al-Khalil agreement and the transfer of planning and construction powers in the city and at holy sites across the West Bank to the Israeli Civil Administration’s Higher Planning Council. These powers had remained subject to arrangements linked to the Oslo Accords for decades.

Hamas said the measures constitute an attempt to expand settlement influence in al-Khalil and its surroundings as part of a broader colonial project aimed at imposing Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, legitimizing settlements, and accelerating annexation and displacement policies.

Source:Websites