Israel closes Ibrahimi Mosque to Muslim to allow settler celebrations

Israeli occupation authorities today closed the Ibrahimi Mosque in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron to Muslim worshippers, restricting access until Saturday evening to allow Israeli settlers to celebrate a religious holiday.

According to Moataz Abu Sneineh, the mosque’s director, the closure includes locking the mosque’s main gates and barring employees of the Awqaf Ministry from entering.

Abu Sneineh criticised the move as an infringement on religious freedom, accusing the Israeli government of racism, reported Wafa news agency. He also highlighted the heavy military presence in Hebron’s Old City and surrounding neighbourhoods, which have been transformed into military zones while settlers are granted access to the mosque.

Director General of Hebron’s General Administration of Endowments, Ghassan Al-Rajabi, condemned the ongoing attacks on the Muslim holy site, noting that the dawn call to prayer had been banned for 27 days. He described the four-day closure as an unprecedented violation of Muslim sites in Palestine.

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It comes after Israeli occupation forces closed the Ibrahimi Mosque and intensified their repressive measures against residents of the Old City last week, blocking entry for employees of the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs.

Ahmed Al-Tamimi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s Executive Committee, called the closures a blatant violation of the sanctity of places of worship and criticised Israeli authorities for using Jewish holidays as a pretext to escalate oppressive measures against Palestinians, further restricting their movement and livelihoods.

He emphasised how these holidays lead to intensified raids on both Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the Ibrahimi Mosque by extremist Jewish groups, compounding the hardships faced by Palestinian citizens, which aim to disrupt Palestinian daily life and cripple their economy.