Religious Affairs

The Religious Affairs Staff Officer at the Civil Administration is in charge of the holy places of Judea and Samaria and assists the entities maintaining and operating holy and religious sites.

The Religious Affairs department is entrusted with enforcement of the Holy Places Order, which states that all holy places shall be protected from desecration, any form of violation, and from anything likely to violate the freedom of access of members of all religions to places which they consider sacred or injure their feelings in regard to these places.

The Religious Affairs Staff Officer greatly invests in upgrading and renovating the holy sites. For example, restoration and development measures were carried out at the site of Prophet Samuel's Tomb to improve the safety and convenience of visitors from all religions. These renovations included the restoration of the original paving, installation of air conditioning, additional safety measures, and more.

In Hebron, the department invests in the improvement of the Cave of the Patriarchs both by enlarging its staffing and budgets and by advancing projects at the site.

The Religious Affairs department also completed the renovation of the Karaite burial plot at the old Jewish cemetery in Hebron, which included fencing the Spanish section of the cemetery and cleaning and uncovering buried tombstones.

In 2016, the Civil Administration invested about one million NIS in connecting Rachel's Tomb, located near the city of Bethlehem, to the water infrastructure, regulating the water supply to the site. In addition, a new lighting system was installed along the access route to Rachel's Tomb to increase visibility and safety.

Each year, with emphasis on holidays and special occasions, the Religious Affairs department makes every effort to facilitate the freedom of religion for followers of various religions to practice their unique rituals and traditions.