Israel quietly hands Ibrahimi Mosque control to settler council
Ibrahimi Mosque, Hebron
The New Arab reports on 16 July 2025:
The Palestinian foreign ministry has slammed an Israeli decision to transfer the management of the Ibrahimi Mosque to a Jewish settlement council, as Tel Aviv continues to encroach on the occupied West Bank.
On Tuesday, Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom revealed that Tel Aviv transferred the management of the Ibrahimi Mosque from the Palestinian-run Hebron municipality to the Jewish religious council in the Kiryat Arba settlement.
The Ibrahimi Mosque has remained under Israeli occupation since 1994, when an Israeli settler massacred 29 Palestinian worshippers. Since then, Israel has divided the site, allocating 63 percent – including the call-to-prayer area – to Jewish settlers, and the remaining 37 percent to Muslims.
The Ramallah-based Palestinian ministry described the move as “unprecedented” and aimed at “Judaising the compound and changing its identity.”