Palestinian Endowments Condemn the Illumination of the Ibrahimi Mosque with the Israeli Flag
On Wednesday , May 20, the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments denounced the lighting of the walls of the Ibrahimi Mosque with the colors of the Israeli flag and Hebrew phrases, calling it a "blatant assault" on the sanctity of the mosque located in the city of Hebron in the south of the occupied West Bank.
The ministry said in a statement that the move represents a "blatant attack on the sanctity of the mosque and the feelings of Muslims," stressing that the Tomb of the Patriarchs is "a purely Islamic endowment that non-Muslims have no right to."
It added that the Israeli measures inside the Temple Mount are "null and void," considering them "a dangerous attempt to change its historical features and impose a new Judaization reality by force of arms."
It called on the international community and human rights institutions to "intervene urgently" to stop violations against Islamic holy sites, calling on Palestinians to "tighten the gap and tie" at the Tomb of the Patriarchs to protect it and preserve its Islamic and Arab identity.
The ministry's statement came after a ceremony organized by settlers on Tuesday evening next to the mosque, where its walls were lit with blue lights "in celebration of the anniversary of the occupation of Hebron in 1967," according to human rights activists who spoke of loud music playing in the mosque's courtyard in a "provocative and deliberate" scene.
According to data from the Ministry of Endowments, the Israeli authorities prevented the call to prayer 91 times during the month of April, in the context of the strict restrictions imposed on the Temple Mount since its partition in 1994 following the massacre committed by an Israeli settler that resulted in the death of 29 Palestinian worshippers.
Israeli settlers attack homes in Hebron under IDF protection
On Wednesday (May 20th), Israeli settlers burned two Palestinian vehicles and tried to set fire to a house in the Hebron governorate in the southern occupied West Bank, according to a local official.
The mayor of Halhul, Jihad Abu Asba, told Anadolu Agency that the settlers' attacks on neighborhoods in the city of Halhoul are continuing, including the burning of vehicles, the bulldozing of lands planted with grape trees, and the destruction of agricultural lands.
He added that settlers had previously tried to burn down houses, including residents, with the protection and support of the Israeli army, calling on Palestinians in areas near settlements and outposts to be vigilant and careful.
Local sources also confirmed that about 40 masked and armed settlers attacked the area at around 3 a.m., burning two vehicles and writing slogans on the walls, stressing that the IDF forces provided protection and cover to the settlers during the attack.
The sources explained that the residents tried to put out the fire after hearing voices in the area, before the arrival of the Palestinian Liaison and Civil Defense teams, and then the Israeli army, and said: "We are threatened because of the presence of outposts near us."
Israeli army arrests 20 Palestinians in East Jerusalem
At dawn on Wednesday, the Israeli army stormed the town of Hizma, east of occupied Jerusalem, raided homes and arrested 20 Palestinians, while besieging the town and disrupting school hours.
The Palestinian governorate of Jerusalem said in a statement that Israeli forces stormed the town of Hizma and raided a number of houses, before arresting 20 citizens, adding that they "attacked citizens' property during the raids and searches."
The statement pointed out that the Israeli army closed the military checkpoints around the town and prevented entry or exit from it, and closed secondary roads with earthen berms, according to the governorate.
The army distributed leaflets threatening residents with "further actions and violations," as part of its ongoing policy of "collective punishment" against the town, it said.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education announced, through a statement, the suspension of school hours in Hizma and the postponement of the exams scheduled for Thursday, "in order to preserve the safety of students and teaching staff", in light of the continued incursion of the occupation forces into the town.
The Tomb of the Patriarchs Massacre
The massacre at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron took place at dawn on February 25, 1994, when a settler opened fire on worshippers while they were prostrating in the dawn prayers inside the Ibrahimi Mosque, resulting in the death of 29 worshippers and the wounding of more than 150 others.
Following the massacre, the occupation authorities formed an investigative committee known as the Shamgar Committee, but its results were punitive against the Palestinians, as it approved the division of the Ibrahimi Mosque between Muslims and settlers, and according to the decision, 63% of the mosque's area was allocated to Jews, including the Ibrahimi Mosque, the shrines and the open courtyards, which were converted into a synagogue that Muslims are not allowed to enter except for ten days during the year.
The 37 per cent Muslim section includes the Ishaqiya prayer hall and the back of the mosque, the part where Muslims are regularly allowed to pray.
Since then, the Ibrahimi Mosque and its surroundings in Hebron's Old City have been under tight Israeli military control, including electronic gates and checkpoints that impede access to worshippers, in addition to escalating measures that include preventing the call to prayer from being raised dozens of times a month under the pretext of "disturbing the settlers."