Ramallah, March 12 (Petra) – Palestinian Minister of Waqf and Religious Affairs Mohammad Najem on Wednesday condemned Israeli attempts to re-roof the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in the southern West Bank, which undermines the holy shrine's historical and heritage status and violates the exclusive powers of the ministry.

Najem said in a statement that the ministry has jurisdiction on restoration and repair work of the mosque, including the occupied section.

The occupation authority seeks to transform the mosque into a purely Jewish synagogue, strip the Palestinian Ministry of Waqf of its powers, fully control the mosque and obliterate its religious and historical heritage and Islamic features, while violating its temporal and spatial division, he said.

He said the Ministry of Awqaf will not accept any infringement of these powers, adding that the Ibrahimi Mosque is a World Heritage Site recognized by human rights organizations, most notably UNESCO, which stipulates that no feature of the mosque should be altered.

Najm said that the proposed roofing is the only breathing space within the mosque, and there is concern that the roof could cause congestion among Muslim worshippers, especially in the Ishaqiya Prayer Hall. He pointed out that the mosque would be subject to structural and architectural damage as a result of the construction of a metal roof that could affect its structure.

He said that allowing the roof to be constructed is a violation of all legal references in effect since the 1994 massacre at the mosque, which underlined that the Ministry of Awqaf is the sole authority to carry out repairs.

Najm called on the international community and organizations concerned with human rights and the protection of world heritage to help prevent Israel from re-roofing the mosque and stop daily violations, which are carried out under clear government political cover.

//Petra//SS

12/03/2025 15:41:25