AL-KHALIL, (PIC)
The ban on raising the call to prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil city is no longer an isolated or temporary measure, rather it has become part of a series of escalating steps aimed at changing the historical and legal status quo at the mosque, by imposing restrictions on worshipers, excluding the Palestinian authorities supervising it, and expanding the influence of settlers inside it.
Specialists believe that what is happening in the Ibrahimi Mosque goes beyond being field violations, to constitute a practical model for testing Judaization policies that may later extend to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, amid warnings of the escalating dimensions of the religious conflict.
Accelerating steps to impose control over the mosque
The Israeli occupation forces continue to prevent the call to prayer from being raised in the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil city for the 14th consecutive day, coinciding with the imposition of restrictions on the access of worshipers and the continuation of Judaization measures and violations against the mosque.
The occupation continues to close the main door leading to the mosque (Bab al-Suq) for hours, which hinders the access of citizens and worshipers to it.
In a related context, the occupation forces had expelled the head of the custodians and director of the Ibrahimi Mosque for 12 days, under the pretext of violating army instructions regarding spreading “mats”, which are pieces placed on the ground during settler incursions into the mosque.
Five of the mosque’s employees are also undergoing interrogation today, over the background of the same case.
This coincides with the continued prevention of al-Khalil municipality crews from providing any services in the vicinity of the Ibrahimi Mosque, after the occupation withdrew its powers by force.
In this context, the researcher specializing in Jerusalem affairs, Ziyad Ibhais, confirmed that the occupation is currently working to remove the Ibrahimi Mosque from the powers of the Palestinian Endowment Administration and transfer supervision over it to the “Kiryat Arba” settlement council.
He explained that the occupation forces recently banned the call to prayer for ten consecutive days, closed the muezzins’ room, expelled the director of the mosque and the head of custodians, prevented engineers belonging to the Endowment from entering it, and confiscated the equipment of the Reconstruction Committee, within the framework of steps paving the way for imposing full Israeli control over the maintenance and restoration works of the mosque.
Ibhais pointed out that the occupation authorities have refrained, since the beginning of 2024, from handing over the northern part of the mosque to Muslims during Islamic holidays, in violation of the divisions of the Israeli “Shamgar Commission”, while continuing to allow settlers to hold celebrations and dance near the mihrab and the pulpit during Jewish holidays.
He added that the occupation had previously exploited the “Coronavirus” pandemic lockdowns to install an elevator for settlers, allowing it to control additional areas of the mosque, and is seeking today to roof its open courtyard to complete its tight control over its entire area.
The Ibrahimi Mosque, a “test ground” for Judaization policies
Ibhais warned that the Ibrahimi Mosque has become a “test ground for Judaization”, as the occupation government tests inside it policies of gradual change of the status quo, in preparation for an attempt to transfer them to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
This comes in light of a situation that al-Khalil city has been living since the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre in 1994, where the occupation imposes its control over the city center and the vicinity of the Haram, and continues to implement displacement and Judaization policies aimed at changing the character of the area.
Despite these policies, al-Khalil still represents one of the most prominent Palestinian cities that cling to its national and religious identity, while observers believe that what is being imposed today in the Ibrahimi Mosque may constitute an indicator of what might target the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the future.
Warnings of a religious war targeting freedom of worship
In parallel with the field measures, human rights activists and religious bodies described the project to restrict the call to prayer as a declaration of a religious war targeting the Palestinian identity and freedom of worship.
The lawyer Khaled Zabarqa said that Israel views the call to prayer as an obstacle to its policies aimed at Judaizing the public space, considering that the project comes within attempts to obliterate non-Jewish religious and national symbols, warning of escalating anger and tension in the Palestinian street, and calling for a unified stance to confront it.
For his part, a member of the Endowment Trustees Committee in 1948 occupied Palestine, Fouad Abu Qumair, considered that the project represents a racist decision that affects an authentic religious ritual and a guaranteed right to freedom of worship, stressing that true coexistence requires respecting all religious beliefs.
Abu Qumair warned that passing the law, imposing restrictions on the call to prayer, will lead to further tensions and threatens the social fabric, calling for a comprehensive strategy based on clinging to rights, and enhancing solidarity among Muslims, Christians, and Jews who reject discrimination, in addition to activating media and popular mobilization to confront the draft law.
The draft law is an extension of repeated Israeli attempts since 2011 to restrict the call to prayer under the pretext of reducing noise.