Israel approves appropriation of Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque

Israeli government’s Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit yesterday approved the expropriation of Palestinian land adjacent to the Ibrahimi Mosque in occupied West Bank city of Hebron.

According to Arab48, after Mandelblit’s approval, the Palestinian land will be under the control of Defence Minister Naftali Bennett.

The land belongs to the Islamic charitable trust in the Palestinian city, which oversees the Ibrahimi Mosque.

The occupation will use the land to allow disabled visitors to access a synagogue near the mosque.

Israeli media reported the Israeli Ministry of Justice saying in a statement that the decision was made in collaboration with the Civil Administration.

READ: Israel bans the athan 49 times at Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque

The statement said that this land would be used to build an elevator and ramp to allow people with disabilities, including tourists and Jewish worshippers, to access a synagogue.

Commenting on this step, the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Waqf and Religious Affairs said: “The decision is an assault on the Muslims’ ownership of the Ibrahimi Mosque and the endowments that surround it, which are numerous in the city of Hebron.”