Milan, 8 February. (LaPresse) – Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defence Minister Israel Katz announced that the country's security cabinet has approved a series of decisions to ‘drastically’ change policy in the West Bank, strengthening Israeli control over the territory, including in sensitive sites such as Hebron, and paving the way for further settlement expansion. According to a joint statement by the ministers, the decisions ‘aim to remove decades-old barriers, repeal discriminatory Jordanian legislation and allow for accelerated development of settlements in the territory.’ This was reported by The Times of Israel. The plan transfers authority over building permits for the Jewish settlement in the Palestinian-majority city of Hebron from the Hebron municipality, which belongs to the Palestinian National Authority, to Israel. The changes also affect the Tomb of the Patriarchs, a site sacred to both Judaism and Islam, which has been at the centre of a heated conflict.