Israeli flag flown on top of Ibrahimi Mosque

A group of illegal settlers and Israeli forces raised the Israeli flag on top of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in the occupied West Bank yesterday, Wafa news agency reported.

Flags were placed on top of the mosque and along its walls as part of Israel’s preparations for its Independence Day celebrations on 14 May.

The Palestinian head of Hebron’s Endowments, Nedal Al-Jaabar, “condemned this act as a provocation of the feelings of Muslims and a blatant violation of the sanctity of holy sites and of all international conventions and norms.”

He said this was part of Israel’s efforts to act Judaise the mosque and alter its historical identity.

READ: Israel approves new 31-unit settlement construction in Hebron

Israel’s plan to seize the Ibrahimi Mosque goes against international laws. In 2017, UNESCO included the Ibrahimi Mosque and the Old City of Hebron as a Palestinian heritage site.

Jews believe the site to be the burial place of the biblical patriarch Joseph. Muslims, however, challenge this claim, saying a Muslim Imam – Sheikh Yussef Dawiqat – was buried at the site two centuries ago.

Last month, Israeli occupation authorities decision to close the Ibrahimi Mosque to Muslim worshippers for two days to hold a concert on the occasion of the Jewish Passover holiday.