The Israeli military has seized municipal powers over Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque from Palestinians in a move widely seen as undermining Islamic administration of the site.
On Wednesday, the Israeli Civil Administration, a military body overseeing the occupied West Bank, announced it had transferred planning powers from the Palestinian Authority-run Hebron Municipality to its own Supreme Planning Council.
The move was followed by the granting of permission to construct a roof over the mosque’s internal courtyard, despite fierce Palestinian opposition.
Hebron Municipality condemned the decision, calling it a “serious and illegal violation” and part of a systemic attack on the status quo at the mosque and the powers of Palestinian authorities tasked with its management.
“This is a clear violation of international law and existing agreements,” the municipality said, accusing Israel of stripping Palestinian institutions of their planning and construction rights in favour of the Israeli Civil Administration.
Hamas also slammed the move, accusing Israel of pursuing a dangerous “Judaisation” agenda, aimed at erasing Palestinian identity in Hebron and replacing it with a Jewish one.
“The Israeli government seeks to undermine the mosque’s identity, as well as the Arab and Islamic identity of Hebron,” Hamas stated. “This is part of Israel’s broader effort to control Palestinian land and holy sites.”
The municipality also pointed out that Israel’s actions violate Unesco’s decision to list the Ibrahimi Mosque and the Old City of Hebron as part of the world’s endangered heritage sites.
The lawyers who petitioned Israel’s Supreme Court about the move said that all decisions regarding the Ibrahimi Mosque, including construction permits and confiscation actions, lacked legal validity.
Reported takeover plan
The Ibrahimi Mosque is regarded as a holy site by Muslims, Jews and Christians alike as the birthplace of Prophet Abraham, patriarch of all three religions.
It is known to Israelis as the Cave of the Patriarchs.
In 1994, an armed Israeli settler, Baruch Goldstein, entered the mosque during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and opened fire on Muslim worshippers, killing 29 people and wounding more than 120.
Following the massacre, control of the site was split between Palestinians and Israelis under a 1997 agreement.
This arrangement led to frequent settler incursions and increased Israeli control over both the mosque and the city of Hebron.
Under the agreement, the Islamic Waqf, a religious trust, and the Hebron Municipality managed the mosque, overseeing construction and renovation.
But Israel’s latest move strips them of these powers, raising concerns that Israel is moving closer to taking full control of the mosque.
This is seen as part of Israel’s broader strategy to gradually transfer the mosque’s administration to Israeli hands.
In July, Israeli media reported plans to strip the Hebron Municipality of its authority over the historic site and hand it to the religious council of the nearby Kiryat Arba settlement, which sits on Hebron’s land.
While the Islamic Waqf said it had not received any official notification, it warned that such a move would be a “blatant and dangerous assault” on a site of profound “religious, historical, and archaeological” significance.
Muataz Abu Sneineh, director of the Ibrahimi Mosque, cautioned that the report could be a test to gauge Palestinian reaction before any formal steps are taken.
In November, Israeli authorities notified the Hebron Municipality of plans to seize the mosque’s internal courtyard, posting the decision on its walls.
Since the war on Gaza began in 2023, Palestinians have also faced increasing Israeli restrictions and violations at the mosque, including repeated bans on the call to prayer, closures of entrances to Muslim worshippers, settler incursions, confiscation of keys to rooms and courtyards, invasive searches, and harassment of nearby residents.
Meanwhile, Hebron Municipality workers are routinely harassed and blocked by Israeli soldiers when attempting to access the site.
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