Israel bans call to prayer at Ibrahimi Mosque 49 times

Israeli occupation authorities banned the call to prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron 49 times in January.

Minister of Waqf and Religious Affairs Yousif Ideis said: “The occupation continues to violate the sanctity and religious rituals of Muslims in Palestine without fear of deterrence or condemnation.”

In a statement released today, he added: “The occupation prevented the raising of the adhan [call to prayer] in the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron 49 times over the past month … launching 2018 with a number of violations of the Ibrahimi and Al-Aqsa Mosques, whose sanctity is violated every day by extremist settlers who call for its demolition.”

He called on the international community and its concerned institutions to take action to ensure the protection of the religious, historical and cultural heritage of the Ibrahimi Mosque.

Read: PA warns of Israel plan to Judaise Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron

Occupation forces prevent the adhan at the Ibrahimi Mosque on the grounds that it causes an “inconvenience to settlers”. Muslim worshippers are also subject intrusive searches at the electronic gates and military barriers leading up to the mosque and the old town of Hebron.

The holy site was split into a synagogue – known to Jews as the Cave of Patriarchs – and a mosque after US-born Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein massacred 29 Palestinians inside the mosque in 1994.

Muslims have since been prevented from praying in the mosque during Jewish holidays.