Latest news with #IbrahimiMosque
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
UAE condemns Israeli plan to seize control of Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron
The UAE has strongly condemned plans by the Israeli government to seize control of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron city, in the occupied West Bank. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the move to transfer control from Palestinian authorities to the Jewish Religious Council in the Kiryat Arba settlement represented a 'grave violation' of the mosque's historic and legal status. The ministry emphasised the importance of respecting the status quo of holy sites and called for an immediate halt to all 'unilateral and provocative actions that risk destabilising the occupied Palestinian territories and undermining international efforts towards de-escalation'. Israeli media reported this week that the directive would be undertaken by the Israeli Civil Administration, which operates under the Ministry of Defence and governs the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The Ibrahimi Mosque is currently under the authority and administration of the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs and the Hebron Municipality. The mosque is one of the most revered sites in both Judaism and Islam. It was designated a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 2017, while also being placed on a list of sites considered in danger by the UN cultural body. The Permanent Delegation of the State of Palestine to Unesco on Wednesday described the Israeli plan as 'dangerous and illegal'. The UAE has called on the international community to uphold its responsibilities in safeguarding holy sites and preserving their religious and historical status. The ministry underlined the need to support all regional and international efforts to advance the peace process in the Middle East and end illegal practices that undermine the two-state solution.
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
UAE condemns Israeli plan to control Ibrahimi mosque in 'violation of historical status quo'
UAE has strongly condemned and denounced the Israeli plan to transfer the administration and supervision of the Ibrahimi Mosque from the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs and the Hebron Municipality to the Jewish Religious Council in the Kiryat Arba settlement. This move constitutes a serious violation of the historical and legal status quo at the Ibrahimi Mosque. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed the importance of respecting the status quo at holy sites and the need to halt all unilateral and provocative practices that would destabilise the occupied Palestinian territories and undermine international efforts to achieve calm. The UAE called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities in protecting holy sites and ensuring that their religious and historical status is not undermined. The UAE also stressed the importance of supporting all regional and international efforts to advance the peace process in the Middle East and put an end to illegal practices that threaten the achievement of a two-state solution.
Arab News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Palestinian Authority warns of Israeli plan to transfer control over Hebron's Ibrahimi Mosque to settlement council
LONDON: The Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has warned about the consequences of imposing Israeli settler control over the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron city, south of the occupied West Bank, on Wednesday. The ministry said that Israel's decision to transfer the management of the mosque, known to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs, to a settlement council is 'an unprecedented move to impose control over it, Judaize it, alter its identity, and a blatant violation of international law and UN resolutions.' Israeli media reported on Wednesday that the Israeli Civil Administration, which operates under the Ministry of Defense and governs the West Bank, has transferred the management and supervision of the Ibrahimi Mosque from the Hebron municipality to the religious council of the Kiryat Arba settlement. The ministry called on UNESCO, which had designated the Ibrahimi Mosque as a World Heritage site in 2017, to urgently intervene and halt the implementation of this plan. Tayseer Abu Sneineh, mayor of Hebron, stressed that 'the transfer of the powers of the Ibrahimi Mosque administration (to the settlement's religious council) is an assault on the civilization of the city and a blatant violation of international law.' Abu Sneineh said that the Israeli Civil Administration, officially known as the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, has not yet officially handed over the decision to the city's municipality. He said that Israeli violations of the Ibrahimi Mosque's sanctity began shortly after the city and West Bank were occupied in 1967, when settlers held a collective wedding at the site. 'We reject the decision in full, and consider it a political, cultural and religious aggression against the city of Hebron,' Abu Sneineh told Wafa news agency. Sheikh Moataz Abu Sneineh, director of the Ibrahimi Mosque, said they have not received official notification about the transfer of administration powers, emphasizing that the mosque is a purely Islamic site and part of Islamic endowment property. The Ibrahimi Mosque is in Hebron's Old City, where about 400 settlers are protected by around 1,500 Israeli soldiers and surrounded by numerous military checkpoints. Since 1994, Israel has spatially divided the Ibrahimi Mosque into 63 percent for Jews and 37 percent for Muslims, after a massacre by an extremist settler that killed 29 Palestinian worshipers at the site.
