Palestine rejects Israeli decision to seize parts of Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque

The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs rejected an Israeli decision to take over parts of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank, saying it encroaches on its authority.

In a statement late Monday, the ministry stressed its rejection of the Israeli decision to “expropriate the courtyard of the Ibrahimi Mosque and allow work on its roof to enable settlers to carry out their daily violations inside.”

It added that “this decision harms the historical and heritage status of the Ibrahimi Mosque and infringes on the exclusive authority held by the Ministry of Awqaf.”

The ministry reaffirmed its right “to carry out restorations and repairs needed at the mosque, including the usurped section, and will not accept in any form any reduction of these powers or infringement by the occupation.”

It noted that “the Ibrahimi Mosque is listed as a cultural heritage site and recognized by rights organizations, foremost UNESCO, which stipulated that none of its features be altered.”

The ministry viewed the Israeli decision as an attempt “to control the mosque and move beyond temporal and spatial division toward full takeover, by erasing its Islamic religious, historical and heritage features.”

It called on the international community and organizations concerned with human rights and world heritage, especially UNESCO, “to play their role in preventing the Israeli occupation from seizing the mosque courtyard roof and from its daily violations committed under a clear government political cover.”

Palestinian officials say the move by Israel is the latest step to erode Muslim authority over one of the West Bank’s most sensitive holy sites.

The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) said the order, covering 288 square meters (3,100 square feet), was issued Monday through a formal expropriation notice.

The commission appealed to UNESCO and the United Nations to intervene, saying the mosque’s protection is tied to preserving Hebron’s identity and Palestinian rights over their sacred sites.

In February, the Israel Hayom newspaper reported that Israel had already shifted administrative powers over the mosque from the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Hebron’s municipality to an illegal settler religious body in Kiryat Arba.

In 2017, UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee recognized Hebron's Old City, which includes the Ibrahimi Mosque, as a Palestinian World Heritage site.

Around 400 illegal Israeli settlers live in the Old City under the guard of about 1,500 soldiers.

In 1994, Israel divided the mosque after an illegal Israeli settler gunned down 29 Palestinian worshippers, allocating roughly two-thirds of the site to Jewish worship and the remainder to Muslims.

Since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, at least 1,022 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal. It demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.