Israeli army holds graduation ceremony at Ibrahimi Mosque

Israeli sources have revealed that the Givati Brigade in the Israeli Army held the graduation ceremony of a training course for new recruits in the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. The Mosque is known by Israelis as the Cave of the Patriarchs.

The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that the concert seemed like a normal military festival, with the Brigade Commander moving between the soldiers. The ceremony’ speakers said that it was unusual, because it was held in the Ibrahimi Mosque’s courtyard.

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The brigade sent letters to the soldiers’ families inviting them to participate in the graduation ceremony for recruits joining the ranks of combat units. It informed them that the ceremony, which used to be held at the training camp of the Golani Brigade, would unusually be held inside the Ibrahimi Mosque.

One graduating soldier said, “The atmosphere was wonderful, and every soldier should visit the Cave of the Patriarchs.”

This occurs within the context of escalating Israeli efforts to completely Judaize the Ibrahimi Mosque despite that the greatest portion of the area has already been carved out for Jews.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has announced that all Israeli ambassadors will take courses on Hebron’s Jewish sites, including the Cave of the Patriarchs. The Israeli Ministry of Education has also distributed a message to school administrations telling them to send Jewish students on school trips to the Cave of the Patriarchs so as to authenticate the Jewish prayer with the Cave and also to emphasize the site’s Hebrew identity.