RAMALLAH, January 1, 2026 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned on Thursday Israel's decision to strip the Hebron Municipality of its authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque, calling it a dangerous escalation and a violation of the legal and historical status quo.

The ministry strongly denounced the Israeli occupation's move to revoke the municipality's planning and construction rights at the Ibrahimi Mosque, transferring them to illegal Israeli entities. It also condemned the immediate approval of the unilateral project to build a ceiling over the mosque's courtyard, a clear violation of international law, UN resolutions, and Israel's obligations as an occupying power.  

The ministry emphasized that this forced, unilateral seizure of jurisdiction from the Palestinian municipality and the Islamic Waqf Department shows that the goal of these actions is not about regulation or development, but about imposing control and perpetuating occupation over the Ibrahimi Mosque, aiming to forcibly alter its historical and legal status.  

The ministry reminded that in 2017, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) listed the Old City of Hebron and the Ibrahimi Mosque as part of the World Heritage List in Danger, under the name of the State of Palestine. It said the decision affirms that the sovereignty over Hebron and the Ibrahimi Mosque belongs solely to the Palestinian people and their leadership, adding an international and legal dimension that protects the site from any unlawful, unilateral changes by the Israeli authorities.

The ministry stressed that the Israeli decision is both historically and legally invalid and lacks any international or legal legitimacy. It vowed to continue, in cooperation with all relevant international bodies, to take all necessary legal and diplomatic measures to confront these violations, protect the Ibrahimi Mosque from any unilateral changes, and uphold the rights and dignity of the Palestinian people and their cultural and religious heritage.

M.N