Palestinian Officials Banned from Ibrahimi Mosque Premises

The director and the custodian of the Ibrahimi Mosque, a holy site known to the Jewish community as the Tomb of the Patriarchs, were issued notices banning them from the mosque’s premises for 15 days, the officials involved and Palestinian ministries reported on Sunday. The director, Mu'taz Abu Sneineh, was reportedly summoned to a police station in the Telem settlement and issued the warning against himself and Hammam Abu Murkhiya. The pair are reportedly now forbidden to enter or pray in the mosque and or its surrounding courtyards. “This decision comes within the context of the occupation's practices aimed at emptying the Ibrahimi Mosque and the Old City of Hebron of its Palestinian residents,” WAFA claimed. The Palestinian Religious Endowments and Affairs Ministry condemned the temporary measure, claiming it is part of a “an attempt to reduce their role in the administration and supervision of its religious and administrative affairs.” “This is a dangerous previous measure that aims to empty the Abrahamic Mosque from its official references, and imposing a new reality that negatively reflects the freedom of worship and the flow of work inside the Holy Mosque,” the ministry warned. Ongoing fight over canopy at holy site The alleged ban comes as Israeli and Palestinian officials have fought over the construction of a canopy above the Jewish section of the site. Until now, the UNESCO heritage site has been largely managed by a Wakf, an Islamic charitable trust. However, in July, the government transferred partial authority over the site to the Kiryat Arba-Hebron Religious Council.