Ramallah Saba:
Palestinian Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs, Muhammad Najm, expressed his rejection of the Zionist enemy's attempts to roof the Ibrahimi Mosque, for harming its historical and heritage status, and for encroaching on the powers that the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments exclusively possesses.
The Palestinian minister explained in a statement issued by the ministry on Tuesday, and carried by the Palestinian News Agency "WAFA", that the ministry's entitlement includes the restoration and repair work that the mosque needs, including the occupied section of it.
Najm stressed that the endowments will not accept in any way the infringement of these powers or the Zionist enemy's encroachment on them, noting that the Ibrahimi Mosque is on the list of cultural heritage, and is recognized by human rights organizations, headed by UNESCO, which stipulated that no landmark of the mosque should be changed.
He pointed out that the place intended to be roofed in the sanctuary is the only outlet for the sanctuary, and there is fear that the roof will cause suffocation among Muslim worshippers, especially in the "Ishaqiya Prayer Hall" area, and the sanctuary will be exposed to structural and urban damage, as a result of the construction of a metal roof that may affect its structure.
Najm said that allowing the roof of the Ibrahimi Mosque represents a violation of all legal references that have been in effect since the 1994 massacre of the sanctuary, which confirmed that the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments is the only one authorized to carry out repairs; which, if implemented, means subjecting the sanctuary and the course of events in it to the mood of the officers of the Zionist enemy forces, especially in light of the presence of an extremist right-wing government that exploits the war against the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
He added: The Zionist enemy has demanded since the Hebron massacre to roof the area of the Ibrahimi Mosque courtyard. On 7/9/2024, the enemy tried to roof it without the approval of the Awqaf, by raising iron bars and panels, and roofed the exposed part of the courtyard of the mosque. However, the Palestinian government, through the Ministry of Awqaf and with it the official and civil institutions in the Hebron Governorate, formed a joint operations room, and was able to remove the blatant aggression that it practiced against the Ibrahimi Mosque starting from Friday 7/12/2024 until Tuesday 7/16/2024.
He continued: The Zionist enemy raised the issue of the roof of the mosque courtyard again on 12/9/2024, under the pretext that the decision was taken at the political level after the Israeli government approved it, and that the previous roofing operation was carried out without a political decision.
On 2/25/2025, the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments was informed of the Zionist enemy's intention to roof the courtyard of the Ibrahimi Mosque, and that the Zionist Planning Authority will supervise this matter, because the Ministry of Endowments and official and national institutions reject this.
Najm said that the Zionist enemy seeks to transform the mosque into a purely Jewish synagogue, and to work to withdraw the powers of the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and control the mosque completely, obliterate its religious, historical, heritage and Islamic features, and bypass its division in time and space.
He noted that the Ibrahimi Mosque had previously been subjected to violations and attacks, such as the construction of an electric elevator that distorted the historical and urban appearance of the mosque, in addition to the Zionist enemy's extensions and excavations inside the mosque's corridors and courtyards, in addition to the daily violations that the mosque is subjected to against its custodians, employees of the Ministry of Endowments and worshipers who come to it to pray their five obligatory prayers and the Tarawih prayers.
Najm called on the international community and institutions concerned with human rights and the protection of world heritage to play their role in preventing the Zionist enemy from the roof of the sanctuary and from its daily violations that operate under a clear governmental political cover.
He also called on the official and civil institutions of the Hebron Governorate to play their role in mobilizing energies and developing programs that prevent the Zionist enemy from carrying out its threats that affect the future of the sanctuary and its religious and heritage identity, while the people of the Hebron Governorate called for the necessity of guarding the sanctuary and performing prayers and participating in the religious occasions held there; because with their efforts, the enemy's plans will fall and go away forever.
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