Palestine condemns Israeli decision on Ibrahimi Mosque

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday that Israel’s decision to remove planning and construction powers over the Ibrahimi Mosque from the Palestinian-run Hebron Municipality and hand them to an Israeli committee is a dangerous escalation and a violation of the current legal and historical status.

In a statement, the ministry was responding to the approval by the Israeli Civil Administration’s subcommittee for planning and licensing of a project to roof the courtyard of the Ibrahimi Mosque, alongside the withdrawal of Hebron Municipality’s authority over the site.

The ministry said the Israeli authorities’ decision regarding the Ibrahimi Mosque represents a dangerous escalation, violates international resolutions, and constitutes a serious infringement of the mosque’s legal and historical status.

READ: Israeli media: Government legal adviser calls for Ben Gvir’s dismissal

It added that what it described as Israeli violations show that the aim of these measures is to impose ongoing control over the Ibrahimi Mosque by the occupation forces.

The ministry also said Israel is acting outside any legal framework through what it called “Judaization projects” in the occupied West Bank, while ignoring legitimate Palestinian rights and established international legal positions.

On Wednesday, Israel’s Channel 14 reported that the Civil Administration’s Supreme Planning Council, which operates under the Israeli army, approved the withdrawal of planning powers from Hebron Municipality. The channel said the move was justified as a way to “facilitate issuing a building permit” for the courtyard roofing project, after the Palestinian-run Municipality repeatedly rejected Israeli requests to carry out the project.

READ: Palestine urges UNESCO to protect Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque after Israeli seizure