The Palestinian Authority (PA) has raised alarms over an
Israeli decision to hand administrative control of Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque to
a settlement council, describing the move as a direct assault on Palestinian,
Islamic, and international rights. Multiple local and international actors have
condemned what they deem a flagrant violation of international law, with calls
for urgent UNESCO and global intervention.
Palestine’s Warning Over Ibrahimi Mosque Sparks International Outcry
As reported by the Middle East Monitor, the Palestinian
Foreign Ministry stated on Wednesday that Israel has moved to transfer
authority over the holy Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron from the Palestinian-run
Hebron Municipality to the religious council of the Kiryat Arba settlement. Israeli
media highlighted that this decision aims to facilitate “structural changes” at
the site, branding it as significant progress for settlement goals. However,
the exact scope of these new powers remains unspecified.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Israeli Civil
Administration—operating under the Ministry of Defence and overseeing the West
Bank—disabled the previous Palestinian jurisdiction and reassigned management
and supervision of the mosque to the settlement council. The move, they
note, would mark the first fundamental change to the mosque’s status since the
1994 Shamgar Commission recommendations, which divided access to the site
between Jewish and Muslim worshippers.
Why Is This Move Considered a Violation?
Arab News reports that the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates decried the decision as
“an unprecedented move to impose control over [the mosque], Judaize it, alter its identity, and a blatant violation of international law and UN resolutions”.
The ministry
cited Israel’s actions as a severe breach of the Ibrahimi Mosque’s status as an
Islamic site and called urgently on UNESCO, which classified the mosque as a
World Heritage site in 2017, to intervene.
Kuwait News Agency conveyed the Palestinian Foreign Ministry’s assertion that the administrative shift attempts to
“completely change [the site’s] identity and features, in a flagrant violation of international law”.
Likewise, the United Nations’ cultural agency and the
global community have been called upon to halt the transfer.
Who Controls the Ibrahimi Mosque Now?
The New Arab, reporting on developments from Israel Hayom, specified that Tel Aviv has effectively handed management of the Ibrahimi Mosque, also known as the Cave of the Patriarchs, entirely to the religious council of Kiryat Arba.
“The Palestinian ministry describes the move as ‘unprecedented’ and aimed at ‘Judaising the compound and changing its identity,’”
notes The New Arab. As of Wednesday, both the mosque’s director
Sheikh Moataz Abu Sneineh and Hebron Mayor Tayseer Abu Sneineh have stated that
neither their offices nor mosque employees have received official notice regarding
the transfer. The mosque remains under heavy Israeli military protection,
in an Old City sector where around 400 settlers live, guarded by approximately
1,500 Israeli soldiers.
What Have Palestinian and International Leaders Said?
In a statement published by UNIA/WAFA, Palestinian National Council Chairman Rawhi Fattouh labelled Israel’s manoeuvre
“a blatant aggression against the historical, religious, and legal rights of the Palestinian people, and a fully fledged crime in the context of the Judaization of Islamic holy sites”.
Fattouh referenced international humanitarian law,
the Hague and Geneva Conventions, and UNESCO resolutions affirming the mosque’s
legal status as a purely Islamic endowment as being actively violated.
The Middle East Monitor quoted the Palestinian Foreign
Ministry’s warning of “grave repercussions from the move”, urging both UNESCO
and the wider global community to step in and halt its implementation.
The ministry further cited, as relayed by Anadolu Agency,
that the current administrative shift disrupts the delicate balance established
after the 1994 massacre at the mosque, when Jewish extremist Baruch Goldstein
murdered 29 Palestinian worshippers during prayer, prompting occupation
authorities to divide the site’s use: 63 per cent to Jewish worshippers and 37 per cent to Muslims.
What Statements Have Local Leaders and Mosque Custodians Made?
According to Arab News, Tayseer Abu Sneineh, mayor of Hebron, strongly opposed the manoeuvre, calling it a
“political, cultural and religious aggression against the city of Hebron,”
and warning that
“the transfer of the powers of the Ibrahimi Mosque administration… is an assault on the civilisation of the city and a blatant violation of international law”.
Abu
Sneineh further clarified that, at the time of reporting, no official
notification had been provided to the municipality.
Sheikh Moataz Abu Sneineh, director of the mosque, also
confirmed to the Wafa news agency that neither he nor mosque employees had
received any formal correspondence regarding the purported transfer. He
underscored the point that the mosque is unequivocally a part of the Islamic
endowment.
UNIA/WAFA additionally noted Rawhi Fattouh’s statement
attributing the transfer to what he termed “a systematic plan” by the Israeli
government, one aiming for the imposition of forced Jewish sovereignty over
Islamic places of worship, as part of broader policies of alleged ethnic
cleansing throughout the occupied Palestinian territories.
What Are the Specific Changes Planned by Israel?
IMEMC reported that the Israeli Civil Administration is
introducing a raft of operational changes, among them:
- Planned
structural renovations, including a new roof over Jacob’s Courtyard—a site
reportedly used for Jewish prayer almost 90% of the year.
- The
installation of a modern fire suppression system in the mosque.
- Expanding
Israeli control over the mosque’s electronic surveillance infrastructure.
These measures have been interpreted by observers as
significantly entrenching Israeli authority, at the expense of Palestinian
sovereignty.
How Has the Situation in Hebron Changed Since 1994?
As detailed by both Arab News and Anadolu Agency, following
the 1994 massacre, Israeli authorities divided the Ibrahimi Mosque—allocating
larger portions and control to Jewish worshippers, with a smaller allocation
for Muslims and increasing military checkpoints around the site. Israeli
authorities claim any changes are for security and accessibility; Palestinians
and international critics see them as approaches to systematically erode Muslim
and Palestinian links to the mosque.
Why Is the Ibrahimi Mosque Significant?
UNESCO designated the Ibrahimi Mosque as a World Heritage
site in 2017, acknowledging its religious and historic value. It is revered by
both Muslims and Jews, as the burial place of the Prophet Abraham and other
revered patriarchs and matriarchs. The mosque’s Old City surroundings house
about 400 Israeli settlers in fortified urban enclaves, separated from much
larger Palestinian population and commerce, with the area tightly governed by
Israeli military presence.
What Are the Broader Implications and International Reactions?
The move comes amid ongoing tensions in the West Bank and
Gaza; since the renewed conflict in Gaza, Palestinian Health Ministry figures
have cited nearly 1,000 deaths and more than 7,000 injuries in the West Bank
alone resulting from Israeli forces and settlers. Palestinian and
international actors argue this latest decision illustrates a larger Israeli
policy of deepening territorial and administrative control over key heritage
and religious sites in the occupied territories.
The International Court of Justice also weighed in last
year, declaring Israel’s occupation of West Bank and East Jerusalem territories
illegal and urging evacuation of settlements.
UNESCO Response
While the Palestinian Foreign Ministry and local leaders
have made calls for UNESCO’s urgent intervention, no official public response
from UNESCO was available at the time of writing. Nevertheless, the
situation continues to attract worldwide media attention and condemnation from
international bodies concerned about site preservation, cultural heritage
rights, and regional stability.
What Comes Next for Hebron?
As the dispute escalates, international pressure and
advocacy may intensify. The Palestinian Authority, with backing from various
international partners, demands restoration of the mosque’s previous
custodianship and regard for international law. Israeli authorities and the
Kiryat Arba settlement council have not issued statements beyond local media
disclosures and internal administrative notes. The question of Hebron’s
Ibrahimi Mosque remains at the heart of broader debates over religious freedom,
occupation, and the hope for a sustainable peace in the region.