DaysofPal- The Hamas Movement warned on Thursday of serious repercussions following the Israeli occupation authorities’ approval of a decision to strip the Hebron Municipality of its administrative powers over the Ibrahimi Mosque and transfer them to what is known as the Israeli “Civil Administration” in the occupied West Bank, describing the move as an extremely dangerous step toward Judaization.
In a statement, Hamas said the decision comes within the framework of a systematic campaign targeting the identity of the Ibrahimi Mosque, the Arab and Islamic character of the city of Hebron, and the religious and historical rights of the Palestinian people and Muslims at the holy site.
The movement stressed that removing the administration of the Ibrahimi Mosque is an extension of Israel’s ongoing efforts to impose full control over land and holy sites across the occupied West Bank, including the city of Jerusalem.
Hamas further emphasized that the decision constitutes a blatant challenge to resolutions issued by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which has listed the Ibrahimi Mosque and Hebron’s Old City as World Heritage sites in danger.
The movement called on the international community, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League, as well as human rights institutions and UN bodies, chief among them UNESCO, to assume their responsibilities and take urgent action to halt the Israeli government’s violations and confront Judaization and control projects targeting Islamic and Christian holy sites in Palestine.
The warning came after Israeli occupation authorities approved, on Wednesday, a decision to revoke planning and construction powers within the Ibrahimi Mosque from the Hebron Municipality and transfer them to the occupation’s Civil Administration, following an order issued by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Israeli media reported that the decision strips the municipality of its authority within the mosque, paving the way for the implementation of a project to install new roofing structures over the site as part of a Judaization plan.
In addition, the so-called Higher Planning and Building Council of the Civil Administration approved the initiation of procedures to obtain the necessary permits to carry out the project inside the Ibrahimi Mosque.
For its part, the Hebron Municipality announced its categorical rejection of the move, affirming that the new decisions, alongside previous confiscation measures, constitute a serious and illegal violation of the longstanding status quo at the Ibrahimi Mosque. The municipality said the measures undermine the legal authority of Palestinian bodies officially entrusted with managing and organizing the site.
The municipality reiterated that these violations directly infringe upon UNESCO’s decision recognizing the Ibrahimi Mosque and Hebron’s Old City as endangered World Heritage sites.
In conclusion, the Hebron Municipality stressed that the occupation’s policy of imposing facts on the ground will not alter historical or legal realities, reaffirming that the Ibrahimi Mosque is an exclusively Islamic place of worship, that Hebron will remain a Palestinian Arab city, and that the Palestinian people will continue to confront these plans with steadfastness and resilience.
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