Latest news with #Judaisation
Middle East Eye
4 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Palestinians warn of ‘dangerous' Israeli plan to hand Ibrahimi Mosque to settlers
Palestinians have warned of a "dangerous" Israeli move reportedly aimed at transferring control of Hebron's Ibrahimi Mosque to settlers in the occupied West Bank. According to a report by Israel Hayom earlier this week, Israel plans to strip the Palestinian-run Hebron Municipality of administrative authority over the historic site. The site would be handed over to the religious council of the nearby Kiryat Arba settlement, built on Hebron's land. The report described the plan as an "unprecedented" step, marking the most significant change to the site's status since 1994. The Islamic Waqf in Hebron told Middle East Eye it had not received any official notification. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Muataz Abu Sneineh, director of the Ibrahimi Mosque, said that if confirmed, the plan would constitute a 'blatant and dangerous assault' on a site of deep 'religious, historical and archaeological' importance. He cautioned that the report may be a test to gauge Palestinian reaction before any formal steps are taken. 'These announcements are dangerous and aim to advance Judaisation plans' - Muataz Abu Sneineh, Ibrahimi Mosque director 'The mosque's guards are still performing their duties, and nothing has changed, but these announcements are dangerous and aim to advance Judaisation plans that could alter the status quo here,' he told MEE. Abu Sneineh added that any interference with the mosque's affairs or physical structure suggests Israel is exploiting the current wars to impose a new reality on the ground. 'Israel continues its violations and disregards all international laws, as this site is on the Unesco list of Palestinian World Heritage sites, and is recognised by human rights organisations,' he said. Palestinians reject the plan The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that the reported Israeli plans represent a 'blatant violation of international law'. The ministry urged Unesco and the international community to intervene immediately, warning of the move's potential to escalate tensions and undermine the sanctity of religious sites. 'The Ministry considers this an unprecedented step in Israel's ongoing efforts to assert sovereignty over the site, Judaize it, and alter its identity and historical features,' it said in a statement. Hebron's mayor, Tayseer Abu Sneineh, echoed the condemnation. In a press statement, he warned that altering the mosque's status would be a 'serious violation of international law and all relevant agreements', including the Hebron Protocol and the Shamgar Committee recommendations, which were issued after the 1994 Ibrahimi Mosque massacre. 'Despite [its plans] being unjust and unilateral, the occupation continues to adhere to some aspects of these recommendations,' he added. 'We have not yet received an official decision, but in principle, we reject it completely. It is a political, cultural and religious aggression against Hebron, and an attack on the municipality's legitimate authority, including over the Ibrahimi Mosque and its surroundings." Restrictions and violations The Ibrahimi Mosque has long been subject to Israeli restrictions and violations. These include repeated bans on the call to prayer, the closure of entrances to Muslim worshippers, settler incursions, the confiscation of keys to rooms and courtyards, invasive searches of worshippers, and harassment of nearby residents. Just last week, Israeli settlers held a wedding in the mosque's courtyard. A source within the Hebron Municipality told MEE that municipal crews are routinely harassed and blocked by Israeli soldiers when attempting to access the site. Amid Iran war, Israel seals off Al-Aqsa Mosque in unprecedented move Read More » Israeli forces deliberately prevent them from completing their work, the source said, requesting anonymity for safety reasons. The Hebron Rehabilitation Committee also faces frequent obstruction by Israeli forces, who prevent any restoration work inside or around the mosque. 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 complex during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and opened fire on Muslim worshippers, killing 29 people and wounding more than 120. Following the attack, the site was divided into a mosque and a synagogue, paving the way for regular settler incursions and expanded Israeli control over both the mosque and the city of Hebron.
Middle East Eye
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Hezbollah slams Israeli settler storming of Al-Aqsa as ‘provocative crime'
Hezbollah has condemned Israeli 'aggressive acts' after hundreds of Israeli settlers - backed by soldiers and lawmakers - forced their way into Al-Aqsa Mosque's courtyards over the past three days. In a statement, the Lebanese armed group condemned what it described as 'Zionist settlers desecrating the sanctity of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque,' accusing them of provocative actions under the protection of Israeli forces. 'This brazenly aggressive act aims to create a new and dangerous reality within the context of its settlement and Judaisation project aimed at altering the Arab and Islamic identity of Jerusalem and its holy sites,' the group said.
Middle East Eye
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israel lost the war on the West Bank before it even began
What is happening in the occupied West Bank is a war on the very idea of a Palestinian state. It is a war of Judaisation and settlement expansion; a war on resistance, on the Palestinian Authority, on the land, and on the people. But another goal might surpass them all in importance: it is a war on the outcome of the Gaza conflict. Israel wants to create a different reality in the occupied West Bank - one that erases 7 October 2023 and the war that followed from the forefront of the Palestinian consciousness. It is trying to forcibly displace the Palestinian population, an aim central to the Zionist doctrine of settler-colonial expansion. This goal has not yet been achieved in Gaza. Israel is waging war on the same resistance that undermined the state's security doctrine and awakened its existential fears, as a relatively small and modestly armed group of Hamas fighters were able to swiftly overwhelm Israel's defences on 7 October. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Israel failed in its war on Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, it now wants to dismantle the deep bond between the Palestinian people and their land. This bond is what makes Palestinians cling to the rubble of their homes, even after a 15-month massacre. The images of hundreds of thousands of people making their way back to northern Gaza - traversing their own path of suffering - are no less consequential than those of 7 October. They might be even more threatening to the Zionist settler-colonial ideology. Embedded in history Israel's war on the occupied West Bank is a desperate attempt to erase the Palestinian presence in universities, in the streets, on public platforms, and across various forms of media. It is an effort to reframe the Palestinian cause as an internal Israeli issue, thus downplaying the broader ramifications of its own presence as an occupying force. Follow Middle East Eye's live coverage of the Israel-Palestine war But the war on Gaza will remain embedded in history, shaping the course of the future. It will persist as a memory of genocide, as a symbol of legendary resilience, as proof of the failure of forced displacement plans, and as the struggle of a people fighting for liberation from occupation. The war has drawn a clear line between what came before and after 7 October. The outcome of the Gaza war has revived the dream and promise of Palestine, just as the Nakba in 1948 marked an irreversible turning point. This is not to downplay the disastrous consequences of the war in human lives and massive territorial destruction - but steel is forged in fire. The Palestinian people have been hardened by this war of extermination. Gaza ceasefire: Palestinian resilience prevails in face of Israeli genocidal war Read More » Israel's reading of 7 October was flawed. The shock of the attack by Hamas, which is proscribed as a terrorist group in the UK and other countries, prevented the state from grasping the magnitude of what had happened. The Israeli response was fuelled by hatred, racism, an instinct for killing, and a predominant superiority complex. Through this lens, it waged war. The same mindset led Israel to shift its war to the occupied West Bank, fleeing from the reality created by 7 October. But there is no escaping the truth: eventually, Israel will also have to abandon its war on the West Bank as it comes to terms with the limitations of its delusional dreams. Israel is facing a people who might be weak, but are never defeated; a people who are gentle, yet fight tooth and nail when their dignity is at stake; a people who are forgiving, but will never pardon the killers of their children; a people who are culturally open, but determined to preserve their unique identity and heritage; and a people who are ready to coexist, but only on the basis of mutual respect, equality and rights. The Israelis will eventually come to understand this. Until then, the war in the occupied West Bank will continue as a war on the outcome of the Gaza conflict. As Sun Tzu said in The Art of War: 'Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.' Israel lost the war on the West Bank before it even began. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
