Israeli Authorities Transfer Control of Ibrahimi Mosque

(MENAFN) Israeli officials have removed the Palestinian-controlled Hebron municipality's authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque and reassigned it to a religious council associated with Israeli settlers, as per a report released on Tuesday by a news outlet.

Labeling the development as a “historic and unprecedented change,” the news outlet stated that Israel's Civil Administration has transferred administrative oversight of the revered location to the religious council governing the Kiryat Arba settlement, which is situated next to Hebron in the occupied West Bank.

Although the article did not detail the full extent of the authority now held by the council, it indicated that the decision is intended to enable “structural changes” at the site.

This shift represents the most significant alteration to the site's governance since the 1994 recommendations by the Shamgar Commission.

That earlier decision divided access to the mosque, granting 63% of the space to Jewish worshippers and 37% to Muslim worshippers.

The partition followed a tragic event in 1994 when Baruch Goldstein, a radical settler, carried out a massacre, killing 29 Palestinian worshippers during early morning prayers.

As outlined in the article, the Civil Administration has for years aimed to carry out construction-related modifications at the mosque.

These include roof repairs and building works above “Jacob’s Courtyard,” an area predominantly used by Jewish worshippers throughout most of the year.

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