Palestinian residents of Hebron, with the assistance of Emek Shaveh, an Israeli NGO seeking to prevent the politicization of archaeology in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, have submitted a complaint to the IDF's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) Thursday over a proposed elevator for persons with disabilities at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron.
According to a press release, Palestinians in Hebron are objecting to the elevator on the basis that it was illegally approved by an interim government, in addition to contraventions of international agreements to which Israel is a signatory, and potential damage to the site caused by future construction.
Emek Shaveh also accused the plan of promoting unilateral actions in disputed areas, while claiming that its alleged humanitarian motivation of making the site accessible to persons with disabilities is a façade for changing the status quo in the area.
The NGO claims that the plan came to fruition a few days prior to Yamina MK Naftali Bennett vacating his position as defense minister, upon the establishment of the Netanyahu-Gantz unity government, when he signed the permit for the construction of the elevator. They also note that the site is under the authority of the Hebron municipality and the land with its structures belongs to the Islamic Waqf.
Regarding protection of the site, the NGO said that the documents submitted with the plan did not include the opinion and approval of the Civil Administration’s Staff Office for Archaeology, which is required for building on ancient sites.
Kamal Hairi Abadin, a Palestinian resident of Hebron who was injured and became disabled during the Tomb of the Patriarchs Massacre in 1994 by Baruch Goldstein, said that “I almost do not come to pray at the mosque because as a Palestinian, I am not permitted to drive in my car from my house to the site, because the road is closed to Palestinian vehicles. If Israel asserts that it wants to make the site accessible to the disabled, let it start with allowing disabled Palestinians to access it by car.”
In 2017, UNESCO designated the Tomb of the Patriarchs as a World Heritage Site, adding additional requirements that encourage developers to not harm the historical character of the site.