Middle East Monitor / August 11, 2021
Palestinian Mufti of Jerusalem Sheikh Mohammed Hussein yesterday called for rejecting the Judaization projects at the Ibrahimi Mosque in the occupied West Bank city of Al-Khalil/Hebron.
In a statement, the Mufti said that the Israeli occupation is planning to build passages, corridors and install an elevator in order to facilitate settler access to the mosque.
He pointed out that these projects mean the confiscation of about 300 square metres of the area of the mosque, stressing “this is a flagrant violation of the Muslim property, as well as a flagrant violation of the international laws which protect holy sites and freedom of worship.”
The occupation’s latest actions will increase tensions in the region, he warned, stressing that “these malicious plans will not change the inalienable right of Muslims to their mosques and endowments.”
The occupation is going ahead in its Judaization expansionism by force, he added. “This is a retention of the occupation’s comprehensive war on all Islamic holy sites in Palestine as part of its policy to Judaize the occupied lands.”
Israel’s plan to seize the Ibrahimi Mosque goes against international laws. In 2017, UNESCO included the Ibrahimi Mosque and the Old City of Al-Khalil/Hebron as a Palestinian heritage site.
The Judaization project is being operated by the Engineering and Construction Department of the Israeli Ministry of Security under the supervision of the Israeli civil administration, which is expected to last about six months.
