Fresh concern has emerged in Hebron after Israeli authorities approved measures that would remove local Palestinian control over the Ibrahimi Mosque and place key administrative powers in the hands of the occupying administration in the West Bank. Religious officials warn that the move represents a profound threat to the historic sanctuary and its identity.

Moataz Abu Sunaina, director of the Ibrahimi Mosque, said the decision strips the Hebron municipality of its authority over planning and construction related to the site, transferring those powers to the Israeli-run Civil Administration. The change is intended to accelerate approval for new construction works at the mosque, including a proposal to roof parts of the compound. Abu Sunaina described the step as an aggressive attempt to reshape the character of one of Islam’s most revered holy places.

He warned that redefining municipal authority over the sanctuary opens the door to permanent control over its management, renovation, and future development. Such measures, he said, directly undermine the Arab and Islamic character of Hebron and violate the religious rights of worshippers. The decision was described as part of a broader strategy to impose unilateral authority over Islamic holy sites amid an ongoing genocidal war.

Abu Sunaina stressed that international agreements and cultural heritage conventions recognise the Ibrahimi Mosque as a protected site, formally listed by UNESCO as an exclusively Islamic heritage location. He emphasised that the Islamic Waqf remains the sole legitimate body responsible for administering the mosque, and that any interference represents a breach of religious governance and international law.

Particular alarm has been raised over plans to roof the mosque’s courtyard, an open space that has remained unchanged for centuries. According to Abu Sunaina, expert committees have warned that such construction could cause irreversible structural and historical damage to the site. He added that attempts to control planning inside the sanctuary have persisted since the events of 1994, but are now being revived with renewed political backing, emboldening settler ambitions and accelerating the erosion of Islamic landmarks.

Calling for urgent action, Abu Sunaina urged Palestinian, Arab, Islamic, and international bodies to intervene to protect the Ibrahimi Mosque from what he described as an attempt at takeover and historical erasure.