Palestinian Waqf Condemns Israeli Forces Removing Ibrahimi Mosque Canopy in Hebron

Palestinian religious endowments condemned Israeli forces’ removal of a canopy over the Ibrahimi Mosque courtyard in Hebron, calling it the “commencement of the removal of the canopy” as a prelude to “roofing the mosque's courtyard.”

The Palestinian Waqf said the move represents “a flagrant violation of the sanctity of the Ibrahimi Mosque,” and framed it as an attempt to impose “a new Judaized reality by force of arms.”

Agence Media Palestine

Anadolu Ajansı reported that the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs said Tuesday the Israeli army began removing the canopy in the West Bank city of Hebron, condemning the action as a “new Judaization crime.”

The ministry described the Israeli action as a “blatant attack” on the mosque and said it seeks to alter the site’s Islamic, historical, and cultural features while violating international laws and agreements protecting places of worship and archaeological and religious sites.

The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs warned that the canopy removal is part of a settlement project aimed at imposing “a new Judaization reality” inside the mosque, and said Israel has “no right to interfere in its affairs or alter any part of its urban and historical structure.”

The ministry called on the international community, UNESCO, and international human rights organizations to intervene urgently to stop the Israeli move, and appealed to Palestinians to increase their presence at the Ibrahimi Mosque “to protect and defend it and thwart the occupation's plans to erase its Islamic identity.”

Al Jazeera

WAFA said the Ministry of Religious Endowments and Affairs condemned the reported removal of a canopy in the mosque's central courtyard in preparation for a project to install a permanent roof over the area.

WAFA quoted the ministry affirming that the action is “a desperate attempt to alter its Islamic, historical, and cultural features” and to impose “a new Judaized reality by force of arms.”

The Anadolu Ajansı report placed the Ibrahimi Mosque in the Old City of Hebron, which it said is under full Israeli control, where around 400 occupiers live under the protection of approximately 1,500 Israeli soldiers.

It also said the Hebron municipality, the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs, and the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee manage the technical and service aspects of the Ibrahimi Mosque under the 1997 Hebron Agreement.

Association France Palestine Solidarité said the Ibrahim Mosque has served as a mosque for more than 1,400 years and described it as one of the holiest sites in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity administered by Palestinians.

It added that UNESCO designated the site and the surrounding old city of Hebron as a World Heritage in Danger site belonging to the State of Palestine in 2017, and said the decision was condemned by Israel and the United States, which both withdrew from the United Nations agency.