The Sovereignty Movement has welcomed the decision of Defense Minister Benny Gantz to make the Cave of the Patriarchs (Machpelah Cave) in Hebron handicapped accessible.
"This step combines a basic humanitarian need with a demonstration of sovereignty and a strengthening of our connection to the heritage of the patriarchs and matriarchs buried in the cave," movement representatives said.
The co-chairwomen of the Movement, Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar, expressed hope for additional steps in this same spirit on the part of Minister Gantz.
“The Defense Minister has the power to strengthen the Israeli People’s sovereignty over its Land and to build mutual trust and responsibility between the various sectors of the people. For years, the PA and the Wakf have opposed this necessary step of making the Cave accessible to the disabled, for Jews and Arabs alike, from the understanding that the one who acts is the sovereign. Benny Gantz’s directive to act immediately to make this holy site accessible is a significant act of Israeli sovereignty in the historic, beating heart of the Jewish People,” they said.
The project to make the Cave of the Patriarchs handicapped accessable includes both an access ramp and a wheelchair lift
Gantz made the decision Tuesday following a discussion with the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the defense system's legal adviser, the Judea and Samaria legal adviser, the National Security Council, IDF representatives, and Shabak (Israel Security Agency).
Earlier this year, former Defense Minister Naftali Bennett (Yamina) approved the plans to renovate the Cave of the Patriarchs, after the much-delayed proposal received the green light from Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit.