Israel closes Ibrahimi Mosque to Palestinian worshippers, holds concert for settlers

Illegal Israeli settlers held a concert at the Ibrahimi Mosque in occupied Hebron yesterday to mark Passover, after occupation forces banned Palestinian worshippers from accessing the Muslim holy site.

The Palestinian Islamic Endowments in Hebron said the Ibrahimi Mosque would close at 10pm on Sunday and would remain closed for two days. This, it said, was a blatant encroachment on its sanctity and a provocative violation of Muslims’ right to access their place of worship.

For his part, the Director of the mosque, Ghassan Al-Rajabi, condemned the move, considering it a continuation of the “Zionist authorities’ attempts to dominate and occupy the mosque.”

In 1994, the Israeli occupation authorities divided Ibrahimi Mosque between Muslims and Jews following the massacre committed by a Jewish settler which left 29 Palestinian worshippers dead and over 150 injured.

READ: The worst of Israeli settler attacks on Al Aqsa is yet to come