Ammon News - Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs, Mohammad Mustafa Najm, confirmed that Israeli authorities have refused to hand over full control of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, including its courtyards and sections, as is customary during the blessed Laylat al-Qadr, a revered Ramadan night.

In a statement, Minister Najm said that Israeli forces have refused to open the eastern door for the fourth time this Ramadan and have kept parts of the mosque open to Muslims while failing to restore full management of the Ibrahimi Mosque, also known as Cave of the Patriarchs, to its official custodians. The Palestinian Authority does not recognize the control of the mosque as being incomplete when lacking any of its key sections.

He described the Israeli practices as arbitrary and dangerous precedents at the sacred site, as well as a blatant provocation to the feelings of Muslims, showing a disregard for the sanctity of both the blessed month of Ramadan and the Ibrahimi Mosque itself.

Minister Najm called on the Palestinian people to head to the Ibrahimi Mosque and remain there to reaffirm Palestinian Islamic presence at the site, which he deemed as the best way to confront the occupying forces during these difficult times. WAFA