Occupied Palestine – The Israeli occupation forces on Monday closed the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron to Muslim worshipers, in preparation to make way for Israeli settlers to celebrate Passover.
Islamic Endowments Directorate in Hebron said that the mosque had been closed on Sunday at 10:00 pm, adding that it would not be allowed to open for two days in a row.
The Directorate considered the closure of the mosque a blatant encroachment on its sanctity and a provocative violation of Muslims’ right to access their place of worship.
For his part, the Director of al-Ibrahimi Mosque, Ghassan Al-Rajabi, condemned the move, considering it as a continuation of the Zionist authorities’ attempts to dominate and occupy the mosque.
The Israeli occupation divided the Ibrahimi Mosque in 1994 between Muslims and Jews following the heinous massacre committed by a Jewish settler which left over 50 Palestinians dead. Prior to that time, it was an exclusive Muslim worship area.
