The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments and Islamic Affairs has strongly condemned the Israeli occupation forces’ repeated closure of the Ibrahimi Mosque’s gates to Muslim worshippers, while simultaneously opening them to settlers. This action, the ministry stated, constitutes a grave violation of religious freedom and international law.
The Ministry also denounced the targeting and harassment of mosque staff, hindering their daily operations. It emphasized that these practices represent an assault on the authority of the Waqf (religious endowment) and a blatant disregard for international conventions.
“These measures are part of a systematic policy to restrict worshippers’ access to the mosque and impose a new reality on the Ibrahimi Mosque,” the ministry asserted.
Reports indicate that dozens of settlers, escorted by Israeli forces, have been storming the Old City of Hebron, imposing restrictions on the movement of residents and merchants. Witnesses say these incursions occur every Saturday, accompanied by guided tours for the settlers, disrupting Palestinian life and causing economic stagnation.
Adding to the tension, Israeli authorities recently delivered a decision to the mosque’s administration to seize the inner courtyard, posting the order on the mosque’s walls, both inside and out.
Mu’taz Abu Sneineh, the director of the Ibrahimi Mosque, stated that the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments, in cooperation with official institutions, has filed a legal objection and is pursuing the matter in Israeli courts. An official objection has also been lodged with UNESCO, as the site is a designated World Heritage Site.
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has condemned the Israeli authorities’ decision as a blatant act of aggression aimed at Judaizing holy sites. The movement stated that the Israeli decision is part of a “systematic policy to impose complete control over the Ibrahimi Mosque, following years of military control and restrictions on worshippers, and transforming its surroundings into a settlement outpost serving projects of ethnic cleansing in the heart of the city of Hebron.”
The Ibrahimi Mosque is located in the Old City, which is under full Israeli occupation control. In 1994, Israel divided the mosque following a massacre carried out by a Jewish extremist.
