Israel seeks to change status quo at Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque, say Palestinian officials

Israel seeks to change the status quo at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in the occupied West Bank, two Palestinian officials told Anadolu on Wednesday. The Director of Hebron Religious Endowments, Ghassan Rajabi, and the Mayor of Hebron, Tayseer Abu Sneineh, made the comment as they denounced Israeli violations against Muslim holy sites.

The Israeli occupation regime closed the Ibrahimi Mosque to Palestinian Muslims for four days to allow illegal settlers in the city to celebrate two Jewish holidays, mosque director Moataz Abu Sneineh explained to Anadolu. The mosque will, however, be open for Israeli settlers to perform Talmudic rituals and organise celebrations.

According to Rajabi, the Israeli occupation regime is seeking to create long-term conflicts through its Judaisation policies which target Muslim holy sites. He pointed out that Judaisation and changes to prominent landmarks are ongoing. They include the installation of a menorah on the wall of the mosque, hanging Israeli flags there and preventing the dawn call to prayer. The Israeli measures, he said, “are tantamount to declaring war on the mosque and freedom of worship.”

The Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron is under Israeli control, with a few hundred illegal settlers living in the area, guarded by Israeli soldiers. Following the killing of 29 Palestinian Muslims by an illegal settler in 1994 as they were praying in the mosque, Israel has divided the prayer hall, allocating 63 per cent of the space to Jews and 37 per cent to Muslims.

According to Palestinian sources, at least 745 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank, and nearly 6,200 have been wounded since 7 October last year. Israel’s brutal military occupation of the Palestinian territory has been described as “Israel’s other war on Palestinians”.

All of Israel’s settlements and the settlers who live on them are illegal under international law. On 19 July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) reiterated in an advisory opinion that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is unlawful. While “advisory”, the laws upon which the ICJ opinion is based are binding on all UN member states. Last month, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution instructing Israel to end its occupation within 12 months.

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