For the first time in decades, the Cave of the Patriarch’s electricity, water, and safety systems are no longer under the control of the Muslim Waqf. Responsibility was transferred to Israel in full after a lengthy engineering and legal process that lasted months.
Until now, the Waqf held the main circuit board and the primary water valves for the cave, a control that gave it the practical ability to turn the lights out in the entire building at the push of a button, including the IDF security cameras, surveillance systems, preparations for mass events, and the movement of Jewish visitors.
MK Tzvi Succot who led the change said, “This is a sovereign step of the highest order. For decades, a body that is not the State of Israel held the ability to paralyze the 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 defense, proper management and a safe, permanent Jewish presence at the site.”
The hilltops of Samaria, the Judean hills, Gaza and Hebron are our biblical landmarks where the matriarchs and patriarchs lived out their lives. It is inconceivable that their final resting place – Cave of the Patriarchs – was not under Israel’s control for so long. We are grateful this injustice has been permanently corrected.