Hebron - Saba:
The Zionist newspaper "Israel Hayom" revealed that Israel has decided to take an unprecedented step to change the status quo at the Ibrahimi Mosque, stripping the Hebron Municipality of its powers and transferring them to the religious council in the Kiryat Arba settlement.
The newspaper reported last Tuesday evening that the Israeli Civil Administration, in cooperation with the Jewish Religious Council, has long sought to make fundamental changes to the Ibrahimi Mosque, including re-roofing the mosque and building a roof over Jacob's Courtyard, where Jews pray 90% of the year.
Issa Amr, coordinator of the Youth Against Settlements Coalition in Hebron, considered the decision a first step toward annexing the Ibrahimi Mosque and the H2 area to the Israeli enemy state and applying Israeli law there.
Amr told Sanad News Agency that the decision means treating the Ibrahimi Mosque as an Israeli entity, affiliated with the Kiryat Arba settlement, and that the Jewish religion in this Islamic mosque will prevail over the rights of Muslims.
According to activist Amr, the decision will lead to fundamental changes in the nature of visitors to the Ibrahimi Mosque, the external courtyards, visiting hours, the call to prayer, prayer times, and the temporal and spatial divisions that favor settlers.
He predicted that the decision is a test of the Arab and Islamic world by annexing the Ibrahimi Mosque and then moving on to annexing Al-Aqsa Mosque. He believes that what succeeds in Hebron will be replicated in Al-Aqsa Mosque and Quds.
The newspaper added, "An advanced fire extinguishing system will also be installed, along with other steps, including the ability of Israeli authorities to monitor cameras inside the compound."
The newspaper described this move as unprecedented and dramatic, and said it aimed to significantly alter the status quo at the Ibrahimi Mosque. It would strip the Palestinian Hebron Municipality of its powers and transfer them from the Civil Administration to the Kiryat Arba Religious Council, thereby promoting structural changes at the compound.
During a discussion held last Monday, chaired by Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, within the Civil Administration, steps were taken to overcome a legal obstacle preventing the transfer of powers from the Hebron Municipality and the Waqf to the Hebron Settler Religious Council.
This is the first time major changes have been made to the Ibrahimi Mosque since the Shamgar Committee's decisions in 1994.
The Old City, under full Israeli control, contains the Ibrahimi Mosque. Approximately 400 settlers live in the city, guarded by approximately 1,500 Israeli soldiers.
The city was divided into two areas, H1 and H2, according to the Hebron Agreement of January 17, 1997, between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the occupying entity. This agreement granted the occupying entity full control over the Old City and its outskirts.
In 1994, the Zionist enemy divided the mosque, with 63 percent for Jews and 37 percent for Muslims, following a massacre committed by a Jewish settler that resulted in the deaths of 29 Palestinian worshippers. The section designated for Jews contains the call to prayer.
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