Historic Ibrahimi Mosque under threat as Israel transfers authority to settler council

For centuries, the Ibrahimi Mosque has stood perched high above the Old City of Hebron, its golden limestone walls and square minaret casting long shadows over the tightly packed, modest homes below.

Revered by Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike as the burial site of the patriarch Abraham and other prophets, the mosque has long occupied a central place in the spiritual and political life of the city – or so says Badr al-Tamimi, as he tends his small storefront stocked with household goods in the narrow, winding alleys beneath the fortified compound.

At 60, he has lived through war, intifadas, and occupation, but laments that he now learns about his city’s fate not from Palestinian officials, but from Israeli newspapers.

“It’s as if we are guests in our own country,” he told The New Arab. “The Israelis don’t recognise the Palestinian Authority or any official body anymore.”

In mid-July, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government announced that administrative authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque would be transferred from the Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments, or Awqaf, and the Hebron Municipality to the religious council of the nearby Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba. 

The move has sparked alarm among Palestinians and international observers, with some describing it as the most significant shift regarding holy sites since the 1948 Nakba, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced during Israel’s founding.

According to observers, the decision marks a sharp escalation in Israel’s long-standing efforts to assert control over the mosque, known to Jews as the Tomb of the Patriarchs.

While Israeli forces have maintained a presence at the site since the occupation of the West Bank in 1967, civil administrative authority has remained nominally under Palestinian jurisdiction, a delicate arrangement intended to avoid inflaming tensions.

That balance appears to be unravelling.

Unlike other parts of Hebron under direct military rule, the Ibrahimi Mosque had previously been spared the full application of Israeli administrative control. The recent policy change, however, suggests a new approach, one that could further deepen the rift over one of Islam’s most sacred sites, and potentially inflame an already volatile political landscape.

In response to the situation, the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf has asserted its complete sovereignty over the mosque, emphasising that any attempt to alter its features represents a violation of Muslim rights. The ministry clarified that the Ibrahimi Mosque is pure waqf property and no one has the right to tamper with it or Judaise its identity.

A troubled history

According to Moataz Abu Sneineh, director of the Ibrahimi Mosque, the first Israeli military rabbi, Shlomo Goren, was the first to storm the Ibrahimi Mosque after the 1967 occupation, closing its gates and conducting prayers inside. 

“This established a precedent for how the occupation government would handle the Islamic landmark,” he said, adding that Israeli authorities subsequently declared special rights for Jews at the mosque.

Following the British withdrawal from Palestine in 1948, Hebron came under Jordanian rule, during which significant improvements were made to the mosque to enhance its Islamic identity. The Israeli Civil Administration initially insisted on granting the mosque special status, allowing Jews to pray inside during holy days. These designated times gradually expanded to include specific daily periods, establishing what is known today as "temporal division" of the sacred space, he added.

However, after the June 1967 war, the city fell under Israeli occupation, enabling settlers to expand towards the city and subjecting the mosque to repeated attacks aimed at converting it into a Jewish temple.

Today, Israeli occupation authorities have converted approximately 60 percent of the mosque's area into a Jewish synagogue, leaving only 40 percent for Muslims. The sections are separated by barriers and iron gates, with 22 checkpoints deployed around the mosque, including six main barriers that impede Muslim worshippers' access.

Administrative control stripped away

Abu Sneineh added that in late February, Israeli authorities informed the mosque administration that management had been transferred from the Palestinian Authority to the Israeli Civil Planning Authority.

"We have not been officially notified of the withdrawal of the authority, but we can feel this decision on the ground," he explained. 

The director continued, emphasising the unilateral nature of Israeli actions, stating: "This is occupation, and it does not ask permission from anyone. Whatever it wants, it does."

According to eyewitnesses, for the past six months, the call to prayer has not been raised in the mosque, and prayers have not been held in the mosque, with harsh restrictions preventing worshippers from accessing the site. Meanwhile, settlers can be seen performing their Talmudic prayers and holding festivities during Islamic religious occasions such as Ramadan and Eid.

The occupation also imposes strict restrictions on the Maghrib call to prayer daily and also prevents the Isha call to prayer on Fridays and Saturdays, claiming these times coincide with their prayer periods.

"In return, Jewish prayers are raised during those times, under the protection of occupation forces," Abu Sneineh noted, describing this as part of a broader policy to Judaise the Ibrahimi Mosque and impose control over the remaining portion still held by Palestinians.

International concerns

The restrictions have intensified dramatically since October 7, significantly reducing visitor numbers as part of what analysts describe as the occupation's strategy to impose hegemony and extend influence over the Old City and the holy compound.

Political analyst Imad Abu Awwad indicated that stripping Awqaf authority comes within two frameworks: first, affirming absolute Israeli control over the mosque, and second, reflecting the “occupation's sense of opportunity” to annexe the West Bank.

"This situation causes tension in relations between Palestinians and the occupation, forcing Palestinians to deal with its decisions in managing places, as happened in the 1980s," he explains. 

He warned that these decisions might lead to unexpected reactions, cautioning that pressure might lead to “an explosive situation.”

Abu Sneineh agreed, highlighting Israel’s exploitation of the war with Iran as a pretext to close the Ibrahimi Mosque for 12 days, adding that “occupation authorities installed fire alarm systems in the mosque, despite 98 per cent of this project being completed by the Palestinian side.”

According to the director, such moves represent a methodical erasure of Palestinian stewardship over their own sacred spaces, reflecting what Palestinians see as a broader pattern of appropriation, where their contributions to maintaining and developing religious sites are systematically absorbed into Israeli administrative frameworks.

The implications extend far beyond Hebron. Political analysts warn that the precedent set at the Ibrahimi Mosque could serve as a template for similar actions at other contested religious sites, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem.

For now, the ancient mosque continues to stand above the Old City, its call to prayer silenced more often than it rings out, its courtyards divided by barriers that reflect the deeper fractures in this contested land. The administrative transfer may be complete on paper, but in the narrow streets below, faith persists in quieter forms.

Al-Tamimi, his voice steady with conviction, repeated a familiar blessing: "Bless our master Muhammad as You blessed Abraham."

Then, with a quiet smile that seemed to transcend the mounting uncertainty, he added, "This house has a Lord who protects it."

Aseel Mafarjeh is a West Bank-focused journalist, focusing on stories that speak of the challenges and creativity of youth in Palestine

This article is published in collaboration with Egab