Israeli army disperses Palestinians protesting against plans for Ibrahimi Mosque

By Awad al-Rujoub

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - The Israeli army on Monday dispersed Palestinians in the West Bank city of Hebron who were protesting against the violation of the sanctity of the Ibrahimi Mosque by the occupation authorities.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency that dozens of Palestinians tried to reach the mosque but Israeli forces closed the iron gates leading to it and fired teargas to disperse them.

Ghassan al-Rajbi, the director of the Ibrahimi Mosque, told Anadolu Agency that the Israeli authorities demolished parts of a historic staircase that leads to the mosque in order to construct an elevator for the sole use of Israeli settlers.

The Palestinian Waqf Ministry condemned the Israeli plans for the mosque.

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas group also denounced the Israeli plans, emphasizing that it rejects "the settlement and Judaization plans and projects" in Hebron.

Revered by both Muslims and Jews, Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque complex is believed to be the burial site of the prophets Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

After the 1994 massacre of 29 Palestinian worshippers inside the mosque by Baruch Goldstein, a Jewish extremist settler, the Israeli authorities divided the mosque complex between Muslim and Jewish worshippers.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee decided in July 2017 to include the Ibrahimi Mosque and the old city of Hebron on its World Heritage List.

Hebron is home to roughly 160,000 Palestinian Muslims and about 500 Jewish settlers. The latter live in a series of Jewish-only enclaves heavily guarded by Israeli troops.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar