HEBRON, Saturday, 23 November 2019 (WAFA0 – The Israeli military government closed today the Ibrahimi mosque in the southern West Bank city of Hebron to Muslim worshippers as thousands of Jewish settlers converged on the old town of city, which is under full Israeli military rule, to mark what is known as Sarah holiday, according to local sources.

Tension has been high in the city since yesterday as extremist settlers attacked homes of Palestinian families in the occupied section of the city, injuring several people.

More settlers flocked to the city this morning and specifically to the Ibrahimi mosque, also known as Cave of the Patriarchs where the prophet Abraham, Sarah and others are believed buried.

Settlers were seen yesterday placing stones with Jewish inscriptions on walls and arches in the old town of Hebron in an effort to make believe that the city is historically Jewish.

Hebron was divided into H1 and H2 in a Palestinian-Israeli agreement in 1997. H1, the largest part of the city, came under full Palestinian rule, while H2, where a handful of settlements and settlers are located, as well as the old town that includes the Ibrahimi mosque, were kept under full Israeli military rule until a time comes when its future will be determined in the now defunct final status talks between the Palestinians and Israel.

M.K.