https://arab.news/rmkgk
- Closure prevented Palestinians from accessing the site as Israeli settlers celebrated the Jewish holiday
LONDON: Israeli authorities closed the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, which is in the occupied West Bank, as part of security measures during the Jewish holiday of Passover.
Jamal Abu Aram, the Palestinian director of the Hebron Waqf Department, said that Israeli authorities on Monday evening closed the mosque, with all its corridors and courtyards, for two days.
The closure meant Palestinians were barred from accessing the site as Israeli settlers celebrated the Jewish holiday of Passover, the Wafa news agency reported.
Passover is observed from April 12 to April 20, when Jewish communities commemorate the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt more than 3,000 years ago.
The Ibrahimi Mosque, known to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs, has been a site of conflict since 1994. Israeli authorities have imposed strict military and security measures in the old city of Hebron, where the mosque is located, with nearly 1,500 soldiers stationed there to protect the 400 settlers in the area.