'Grave Assault': Israeli Forces Seal Yard of Ibrahimi Mosque
“The Israeli authorities are constantly seeking to change the features of the mosque and Judaise it,” stated Ghassan Al-Rajabi, an official with the city's endowments authority, in an interview with Anadolu.
He labeled the action as a “grave assault” on the Muslim place of worship.
“The mosque is a purely Islamic endowment and Israeli authorities have no right to it,” Al-Rajabi added. He further accused Israel of exploiting the ongoing conflict in Gaza to advance their agenda by seizing holy sites.
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Al-Khalil Governor Khaled Dodin also condemned the move, calling it a "serious" attack on the mosque's landmarks, a provocation to Muslims, and an assault on freedom of worship.
He warned that this could escalate tensions in the region. Dodin urged international human rights organizations and UNESCO to take immediate action to halt these violations.
The Ibrahimi Mosque, which was divided between Muslim and Jewish worshippers following the 1994 massacre of 29 Palestinian worshippers by Jewish extremist Baruch Goldstein, is frequently closed to Muslim worshippers by Israeli forces to allow settlers to hold Jewish ceremonies.
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Hebron is home to approximately 160,000 Palestinian Muslims and about 500 Jewish settlers living in heavily guarded enclaves.
Source: Agencies
