Israel closes Ibrahimi Mosque to Muslims for Passover

Israeli occupation authorities have closed the Ibrahimi Mosque for two days in the face of Muslim worshipers in order to allow Jews to celebrate Passover, QudsNet reported yesterday.

In a statement, the Palestinian Awqaf Minister Yousef Ideis condemned the Israeli decision, calling for an “immediate movement to save the mosque and put an end to the daily Israeli aggression.”

He also considered the Israeli decision to “empty the whole mosque for the Jewish settlers a flagrant violation against Muslims’ rights as the mosque is a completely Islamic site.”

Ideis pointed out that the Israeli occupation prevented the call to prayer from being made from the mosque up to 160 times over the last three months. “The Israeli occupation is continuous in reinforcing its judaisation policy in and around the mosque,” he said.

He also noted that the Israeli occupation carried out several invasions against the most prominent Islamic site in the occupied city of Hebron, revealing that the Israeli occupation is implementing Jewish plans to undermine Palestinian existence in the mosque.

The Israeli occupation, Ideis said, is preventing Palestinians who are under 25 years old from entering the mosque, as well as it controlling the area around it.

“The Israeli occupation does not save any efforts to undermine the Palestinian and Islamic existence inside the mosque,” the minister said. “This is in order to tighten the Israeli grip over it.”

He condemned the Israeli violations against the Ibrahimi Mosque and called for an international movement to stop them.