Palestinian residents of the occupied West Bank city of Hebron have disavowed a proposal by five purported local "sheikhs" to sever ties with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and establish an "emirate of Hebron" which would recognise the state of Israel.

Hebron-based activist and journalist Issa Amro said that the proposal and its authors are "complete fabrications". "The so-called 'Hebron sheikhs' in this WSJ piece are complete fabrications - anonymous figures with zero political presence, social standing, family ties and community recognition," he told Middle East Eye.

"No media, no clans, no Palestinian factions acknowledge them because they simply don't exist as consequential actors. This isn't journalism - it's inventing Palestinian 'leaders' to fit an artificial narrative while real Hebronites endure occupation," he added.