Israel refuses to fully open Hebron's Ibrahimi Mosque during holy month of Ramadan

By Qais Abu Samra and Ikram Kouachi

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs announced on Friday that Israel has refused to fully open the Ibrahimi Mosque in the West Bank city of Hebron for Muslim worshipers as is customary on Fridays during the holy month of Ramadan.

In a statement, the ministry called the move an “unprecedented and dangerous step, both in terms of scale and timing during the blessed month of Ramadan and as part of a systematic plan to obstruct the full opening of the mosque’s halls, courtyards, and corridors to Muslims.”

The ministry explained that the mosque’s handover typically occurs on "the night of Friday during Ramadan" each year, preparing for the full opening of the mosque to worshipers.

Fridays during Ramadan are among the "ten days throughout the year when the Ibrahimi Mosque is fully opened to Muslim worshipers,” it added.

The ministry also noted that "silence about this situation means institutionalizing this new reality, preventing the opening of new areas each time, paving the way for Israel to take complete control of the Ibrahimi Mosque."

It added that this ongoing violation serves to appease illegal settlers who reject the full opening of the mosque to Muslim worshipers.

Located in the Old City of Hebron, which is under Israeli control, the Ibrahimi Mosque is surrounded by approximately 400 illegal Israeli settlers protected by about 1,500 Israeli soldiers.

On 25 February 1994, which was also the 15th day of Ramadan, Baruch Goldstein, a Zionist terrorist from the far-right Kach movement, carried out a massacre in al-Ibrahimi Mosque. Goldstein entered the mosque and opened fire at praying Muslims with an automatic weapon, killing 29 and injuring about 150 others. Later that day, during and after the funeral processions of the victims, there were violent clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and occupation forces, and more Palestinians were killed, according to Institute for Palestine Studies.

After the 1994 massacre, Israel divided the mosque, allocating 63% for Jewish worship and 37% for Muslims. The prayer room for Jews is situated in the Muslim section.

Tension has been running high across the West Bank, where at least 930 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 7,000 others injured in attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settlers since the start of the Gaza war on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the Health Ministry.

In July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s long-standing occupation of Palestinian territories illegal, calling for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.