“Ma’ale Doron” Settlement – in the Old City (Kasbah) of Hebron
In September 2025, settlers entered an additional property in Hebron. The new settlement consists of an apartment on the second floor of a two-story building, while a Palestinian family resides on the ground floor. The apartment, referred to as “Ma’ale Doron,” is located east of the Cave of the Patriarchs/ Ibrahami Mosque, in a densely populated Palestinian area. Access to the site requires passing through the narrow, crowded streets of Hebron’s Old City. This marks the first time a settlement has been established in the heart of a Palestinian neighborhood in Hebron.
Since the takeover of the property, there has been a constant military presence at the site. It should be noted that any new settlement in Hebron requires approval at the political level in Israel. There are several procedural stages involving authorization by the Civil Administration and the government before settlers can lawfully enter and establish a new settlement in Hebron:
Claims of purchase: Peace Now has no information regarding the alleged transaction in this case. Based on numerous previous cases in Hebron and elsewhere in the West Bank, such purchases are often questionable, sometimes involving forgery or the acquisition of only partial ownership rights. In many instances, settlers may have acquired rights from a single claimant, while other co-owners did not consent, leading to prolonged legal disputes in court.
Approval by the Minister of Defense: Under the legal framework in the West Bank, any land transaction requires a permit from the Civil Administration in order to be registered in the land registry. Each such permit requires prior approval by the Minister of Defense. We have no information as to whether such approval was granted in this case. In previous instances, settlers have often established facts on the ground by entering properties first, and only later submitting requests to formalize the transaction, at which stage the matter is brought for the Minister’s approval. The Minister of Defense has the authority to reject and thereby prevent the transaction.
Security and political considerations: Beyond the transaction permit, the Minister of Defense and the government determine whether settlements may be established in the West Bank. In a highly sensitive location such as Hebron, the decision involves not only political considerations but also significant security implications. In order to prevent situations in which Israeli civilians initiate settlement activity in the heart of Palestinian cities, such as Nablus or Qalqilya, thereby requiring military protection and potentially creating diplomatic repercussions, any establishment of a settlement requires explicit government authorization. Therefore, even if a transaction were legally valid and duly permitted, the authority to establish a settlement ultimately rests with the government alone.
