Dudin and Najm: Hebron institutions and activities must combine efforts to protect the Ibrahimi Mosque

HEBRON-Ma'an-Hebron Governor Khaled Dudin and Minister of Awqaf and Religious Affairs Dr. Mohammad Mustafa Mohammad Najm considered the change made by the occupation authorities to the features of the Ibrahimi Mosque by forcibly covering its courtyard with iron and cement, which is the only outlet for the Ibrahimi Mosque, as a change to the features of the mosque, its structure and its external appearance, and a blatant violation of the archaeological landmarks of the mosque after the massacre of the mosque in 1994. Prof. Dr. Najm's statements came during his visit to the Hebron Governorate today, Thursday, in the presence of the Director General of Civil Affairs, Iyad Awad. Governor Dudin stressed that this attack aims to seize the sanctuary, and constitutes a serious violation of its landmarks, a provocation to the feelings of Muslims, and an assault on the freedom of worship in it, and warns of an escalation of the situation in the governorate, as part of a series of violations by the extremist Israeli o ccupation government against Palestinian sanctities, especially the Ibrahimi Mosque. Dudin called on international human rights institutions to take urgent action to stop these violations and stand up to their responsibilities. Dudin pointed out that the Ibrahimi Mosque Committee will work on a set of measures in cooperation with the committee members and partners to stand in the face of this violation aimed at obliterating the Islamic identity of the Ibrahimi Mosque. For his part, Dr. Najm pointed out that the ongoing violations against the Ibrahimi Mosque are a step that the occupation is trying to pass in Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the occupation's implementation of this attack at night is evidence of religious hatred and the occupation's intention to Judaize the sanctuary, and this false change and the miserable occupation measures will not deter us from protecting the sanctuary and being present in it because we are the owners of the right. Director General of Hebron Endowments, Sheikh Ghassan Al-Rajabi, poi nted out that the occupation exploited the war period in an attempt to change the features of the Ibrahimi Mosque, where the Endowments formed an operations room with the governorate and civil institutions to confront this attack, calling on the Palestinian people to assume their responsibilities in protecting and defending their sanctities, and daily guarding inside the mosque. In turn, the legal advisor and lawyer of the Hebron Reconstruction Committee, Mr. Tawfiq Jahshan, confirmed that the Reconstruction Committee is working with the governorate, Endowments and Civil Liaison as one cell to respond to this attack, and the committee has prepared a statement with a complaint to submit to human rights institutions and to go to international justice later if required. In a related context, the Hebron Municipality stressed its rejection and condemnation of this criminal step, calling on all international and human rights bodies and UNESCO to intervene immediately and urgently to put an end to the occupation a nd its policies towards the Ibrahimi Mosque, noting that it will take all legal measures to stop this act that violates all international norms and humanitarian law, and will work to expose the practices and crimes of the Israeli occupation and its settlers and put an end to them, as the Ibrahimi Mosque is considered a symbol of Hebron, Palestine, the Arab and Islamic nations, and the free people of the world. The municipality added, in a statement received by Ma'an, that the Old City in general and the Ibrahimi Mosque in particular are being subjected to a Judaization attack and the encroachment of Palestinian land with the aim of settling settlers in the homes of citizens who own the land and the place, as the occupation authorities had announced last week their intention to seize the old central vegetable market complex (Al-Hisbah), in addition to another announcement of their intention to build in Osama School and its surroundings opposite Ein Askar, known as the "garage" parking lot. Source: Maan News Agency