In the city of Hebron, in the south of the West Bank, a fierce battle is taking place between the occupation and its settlers on the one hand, and historical religious monuments on the other. The worshipers, the Israeli government is seeking to completely take over the Haram Ibrahimi Mosque in the heart of the Old City of Hebron, in flagrant violation of all international laws.
The Judicial Adviser of the Occupation Government, Avihai Mandelblit, approved a decision to seize the construction areas and the land areas adjacent to the Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi Mosque in the city of Hebron, which is run by the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments, and used them for Judaizing and settlement projects, under the pretext of modernizing the place and its suitability for the disabled settlers, Jews and foreign tourists, And the establishment of paths for people with disabilities in the movement, ensuring their arrival in the Ibrahimi Mosque.
Immediately after the endorsement, the settler organization "B'Tselemo" went to the Minister of the Occupation Army, Naftali Bennett, and demanded to initiate the modernization work. I also sent a member of the Knesset, Katie Sheetrit, from the Likud Party, a letter to the Minister of the Army, requesting him to sign the order to seize The land near the Ibrahimi Mosque, in order to establish a path to enable access to the Ibrahimi Mosque building.
a crime
Faced with its decision to seize lands located in the Ibrahimi Mosque and annex them to its sovereignty, the new occupation government started its actual steps to activate the policy of annexing lands in the city of Hebron, which was finally agreed upon between Netanyahu and Gantz.
The director of the Ibrahimi Mosque, Hafizi Abu Sunainah, said that “the Ibrahimi Mosque is an Islamic mosque that is pure in all its areas and all its parts and patios, and it was and will remain the beating heart of the city of Hebron, a place of religious, historical and national importance.”
He adds: «According to the Oslo agreements between the PLO and the occupation, the one who possesses powers in the Ibrahimi Mosque is the Hebron municipality of the Palestinian Authority, not the occupation authorities, and therefore plans to change the features of the sanctuary by seizing all the lands and areas surrounding it, and withdrawing its administration from the Palestinian endowments, To impose his administration on it, and to accelerate the process of Judaization and the establishment of settlement projects ».
Abu Sneineh affirms that the seizure of the lands of the Ibrahimi Mosque in settlement expansion is a blatant violation of houses of worship and heavenly religions, and a crime to which international law is accountable, pointing out that, during the past years, UNESCO has placed the sanctuary on the list of World Heritage, declaring that the Ibrahimi Mosque Its surroundings are a historic Palestinian archaeological area at risk.
Abu Sunaina goes on to say that the occupation’s decision regarding the Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi Mosque aims to Judaize the heart of the city of Hebron, as it comes within the framework of settlement plans, the latest of which is the announcement of a plan to establish a tourist path and an electric elevator that enables settlers to enter the Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi Mosque and its patios.
The building areas and land areas in the Ibrahimi Mosque are about five dunums, the occupation controls 63% of the total area, while the Ibrahimi Mosque squares, which he divided into two parts after the Haram massacre, are dominated by a section for Muslims and they are allowed to enter it only 10 days throughout the year, and another section for the Jews To perform their Talmudic rites, according to Abu Sneina.
Complete control
For his part, the expert on maps and settlement affairs in the city of Hebron, Abd al-Hadi Hanash, explains that the land areas that the occupation will seize in the Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi Mosque include the external squares, the eastern square and the garden of the sanctuary, all the way to the historic Ibrahimi School, which is located in the southeastern area of the mosque.
Hantash points out to “Emirates Today” that the occupation’s decision will lead to controlling the historic corridors of the Ibrahimi Mosque, leading to his complete Judaization, as he seeks to impose full control over the old town, to include it and the five settlement outposts that he established in the heart of the city, to the settlement of “Kiryat Four », the largest and oldest settlement on the land of the city of Hebron.
“After implementing this plan, converting the heart of Hebron into a city for settlers, and isolating the Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi Mosque from its Palestinian surroundings, powers will be withdrawn from the Hebron municipality over many neighborhoods of the city, setting the stage for the application of Israeli law to the Palestinians living in the southern region of Hebron,” he said. .
The decision will lead to the control of the historic Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi Mosque, leading to his complete Judaization, as it seeks to impose full control over the old town, to include it and the five outposts, which he established in the heart of the city, to the settlement of Kiryat Arba.