The maintenance of Ma’arat HaMachpela complex is now under Israeli control after decades of struggles with the Muslim Waqf.
Member of Knesset Tzvi Succot, chairman of the Subcommittee on Judea and Samaria, led the push for the change. He stated, “for decades, a body that is not the State of Israel held the ability to paralyze a site sacred to Jews. After a long and complex process, control over electricity, water, and other functions have returned to the state. This is not only a correction of a historical injustice, it is a foundation for better, safer, proper management and a permanent Jewish presence at the site.”
He thanked Minister Bezalel Smotrich, IDF Central Command Major General Avi Bluth, and Civil Administration Brigadier General Hisham Ibrahim for the rapid advancement.
On Sunday, MK Succot led a delegation to the holy site where they viewed the new electricity circuit panel and water system. Joining him were were Amitai Cohen, head of Machpela administration, Yifat Weiss, head of the Kiryat Arba Religious Council, Tzuri Hollander, director of Machpela complex, Eyal Gelman, head of the Hebron Council, Israel Bramson, head of the Kiryat Arba Council, and others.
The Maarat HaMachpela is the Biblical burial site of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah Rebecca and Leah. The 2,000-year-old structure that memorializes the underground burial caves was built during the reign of the Jewish kings.
For 700 years, starting with the Mamelukes, Jews were banned from entering the site. After the Six Day War in 1967, Jews began to be allowed limited access. Since the 1990s, the site has been divided with separate entrances for Jews and Muslims. The Muslim Waqf was in charge of the general maintenance and the central electricity and water was controlled by them.
This gave them the ability to turn off the electricity in the entire building at the push of a button, including the security cameras, and inhibit preparations for events and the movement of Jewish visitors, Israel National News reported.
Because the area assigned for Jewish use is unroofed, various solutions have been sough to prevent damage and flooding during the rainy season. For years, the Waqf repeatedly denied a permanent roof solution and also blocked Israel from installing a new fire safety system. Now, responsibility will be handled by the local office of the Israeli Ministry of Religious Services.
Israel Bramson of the Kiryat Arba Council, said, “this is a historic process and period for Kiryat Arba, Hebron, and the Cave of the Patriarchs. After years of embarrassing dependence, the State of Israel is realizing its full sovereignty at the site most sacred to Judaism after the Temple Mount. Today we can say with confidence: the Cave of the Patriarchs is in safe hands.”
Eyal Gelman of the Hebron Municipal Council, added, “dependence on the Waqf is a disgrace to the sons of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov who are buried here, and we, their descendants, are deepening our roots and returning children to their ancestral heritage.”
Many Palestinian Authority officials over the years have lamented the Jewish presence at the site and have expressed a longing for a return to the days when non-Muslims were banned. These include statements from PA president Mahmoud Abbas, former Hebron mayor Khaled Osaily, deputy mayor Kamal Dweck, former PA Minister of Information Mustafa Barghouti, and others who have called for the Jewish presence to be completely removed from Hebron.
NOTES:
- Cave of the Patriarchs utilities shifted to Israeli control – Israel National News
- Historic move: The Cave of the Patriarchs is no longer dependent on the Muslim Waqf
- MK Tzvi Succot Twitter post on change
- Israel takes full control of the Tomb of the Patriarchs system – New08
- New law to expropriate the Cave of the Patriarchs from the Waqf – C14 News
- Machpela Cave Under Full Israeli Control, Water, Electricity & Safety Systems Reestablished – VIN News
- Civil Administration takes authority from the Hebron Municipality for Jewish Worshipers – Haaretz
- Hebron Mayor Khaled Osaily denies Jewish connection to Cave of Machpela – Time Magazine
- PLO official: Palestine should be free of Jews – Ynet News
Previous Hebron.com articles on this story:
Important Renovations for Tomb after Transfer of Authority to Israel – July 2025
New Roof Approval Called “Historic” – September 2025
Article originally appeared here