“Houses in Hebron should be treated just like houses in Tel Aviv,” said Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev, lashing out at her Likud Party colleague Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon during the Jan. 24 Cabinet meeting that dealt with, among other issues, the eviction of settlers who broke into two homes near the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron.

“And what if someone should want to buy a house in the heart of Nablus?” Ya’alon countered. He then went on to say that first of all, one must ascertain that the purchase is legal and second, “In communities in the center of the country, there are no repercussions for defense and diplomacy as there are in Hebron.”

The settlers usually skip over the first obstacle with relative ease. They convince the court that the building was bought legally. Then the minister of defense signs the permit they need to occupy the house, and they can pack their things and move in. The process often takes less time than getting approval from the Tel Aviv municipality to move into a house in the city. Such was the case with the so-called “House of Contention” into which settlers moved in April 2014, having received a permit signed by Ya’alon, dubbing it “the House of Peace.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already expressly promised, “The minute the permits are approved, the settlers will be able to return to the homes, as has happened in similar cases in the past.” But then, what about the security repercussions of which Ya’alon spoke? It’s hard to believe that the prime minister and defense minister are of the opinion that allowing radical right-wingers into the heart of such a volatile Arab town, especially at this time, is the right move in terms of security. And what about the diplomatic repercussions? Barely a week has gone by since US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro expressed criticism of the government’s settlement policy, on Jan. 18. The Americans know full well that even if nine Supreme Court justices rule that the Hebron houses were purchased legally, the area’s military commander reserves the right to prevent the settlers from moving in. It would take just one short phone call from the defense minister’s office. But judging by past experience, even under defense ministers from the Labor Party, this authority will not be used.