Israel moves to strip Palestinians of remaining authority over Hebron's Ibrahimi Mosque

The Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron is undergoing a sweeping transformation after Israeli occupation authorities transferred technical and administrative powers to a settler-run civil administration, signalling a clear push to end Palestinian jurisdiction over the site and advance de facto annexation after decades of divided control.

The move comes nearly thirty years after the 1994 massacre carried out by extremist settler Baruch Goldstein, which killed 29 Palestinian worshippers inside the mosque and another 20 during protests that followed, and wounded 150 more.

In the aftermath, an Israeli committee led by Meir Shamgar imposed a regime that split the mosque, allocating 63 percent for Jews and 37 percent for Palestinian Muslims.

Last Sunday, far-right Knesset member Zvi Sukkot stood in the seized section of the mosque to announce that Israel had taken control of its technical systems, electricity and water, claiming it ended "decades of Islamic administration".

For decades, the Hebron Municipality, the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs, and the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee have overseen the mosque's civil and service systems under the 1997 Hebron Protocol.

Palestinian officials say Israel began preparing for the takeover nearly two years ago, even though no formal notice was given.

Moataz Abu Sneineh, director of the Ibrahimi Mosque, told The New Arab that the latest steps had clearly revealed Israel's intention to impose full control and strip Palestinians of all remaining authority.

Abu Sneineh said Israeli measures on the ground had shown an expanding campaign of forceful takeover, including repeated obstruction of Palestinian staff attempting to carry out routine duties.

"The Awqaf and the municipality still consider themselves the legitimate religious and administrative authorities," he said, adding that both institutions were documenting violations and preparing legal action.

Israel, he said, was using settler media announcements to test public reaction before moving ahead with new measures.

Seizing electricity and water systems

According to Abu Sneineh, Israel has interfered heavily in the mosque's utility systems. Palestinian teams had completed about 95 percent of a new fire-suppression room before Israeli forces entered and finished the work by force, subsequently claiming credit for the project.

A similar pattern unfolded with electricity. Israel installed new electrical cabinets in the seized section, publicly declaring it had removed Palestinian authority over the system.

In reality, Israeli forces simply padlocked the original control cabinets to prevent Palestinian access and even barred Awqaf staff from entering the call-to-prayer room.

Since early 2025, Israeli forces have also blocked Palestinian teams from accessing the eastern well and water systems, sealing the eastern gate and preventing basic maintenance.

In mid-September, the occupation authorities announced plans to seize part of the mosque's courtyard to install a new roof.

Although Palestinian legal objections are still pending, Abu Sneineh said the intention to proceed was obvious. The canopy would cover roughly 200 square metres, nearly 10 percent of the mosque’s total area.

Toward de facto annexation

Israel has tightened control over entry and exit to the mosque and expanded works in the surrounding area. Occupation forces recently demolished part of a nearby park wall, opened a five-metre-wide passage and installed a new gate, preventing Palestinians from knowing what is being constructed behind the barriers.

Daily excavations are also continuing in the al-Ishraf corner adjacent to the mosque, a long-owned Awqaf property that Palestinians have been prevented from accessing for nearly 15 years, raising further alarm about the nature of Israeli projects underway.

Abu Sneineh said Palestinian authorities were pursuing legal challenges in Israeli courts through the Hebron Municipality and the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee, while the foreign ministry prepares international filings. A wider plan is also being drawn up to increase public presence at the mosque.

However, political analyst Adel Shadeed warned that relying on Israeli courts is a strategic mistake, arguing that the issue was political, not legal.

"Israeli judges will not rule impartially. Going to their courts only grants legitimacy to the occupation's decisions," he said.

Shadeed noted that the transfer of powers to Israel's Civil Administration was driven by settler groups with a clear agenda to seize the mosque.

He described the moment as an opportunity Israel was seizing to "change Hebron's historical identity, Judaise it and 'Hebraise' it through full control of the Ibrahimi Mosque".

Shadeed said extremist figures like Sukkot believe Palestinians have been "occupying" the mosque since 1967 and argue it must be "liberated".

He warned that Israeli political actors across the spectrum treat the Ibrahimi Mosque as a site under exclusive Jewish religious sovereignty, and disagreements in Israel relate only to implementation, not principle.

He emphasised that the push was already being implemented on the ground, especially with settler leaders, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich now directing the Civil Administration in the occupied West Bank.