Palestinian foreign ministry condemns Israeli takeover at Ibrahimi Mosque The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Israel’s decision to strip Hebron Municipality of its authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque saying that it marks a dangerous escalation and a direct assault on the site’s legal and historical status. In a statement issued on Thursday, the ministry slammed Israel’s move to revoke Palestinian planning and construction powers at the mosque and hand them to the occupation authorities. It also criticised Israel’s unilateral approval of a project to roof the mosque’s courtyard, calling it a clear breach of international law and Israel’s obligations as an occupying power. The ministry said the seizure of authority from the municipality and the Islamic Waqf exposes Israel’s real aim: tightening control over the mosque and forcibly altering the long-standing status quo as part of wider Judaization policies in the occupied West Bank. It pointed to Unesco’s 2017 decision to list Hebron’s Old City and the Ibrahimi Mosque as World Heritage in Danger under the State of Palestine, underlining that Israel has no sovereignty over the site. The ministry said the decision lacks any legal legitimacy and pledged continued diplomatic and legal action to protect the mosque from unilateral Israeli measures.