Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) on Sunday informed the administration of the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil that the site will be closed before Muslim worshipers during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
Director of the Ibrahimi Mosque Hefzi Abu Sneineh said that the closure will be in effect from 10 p.m. on Sunday until Tuesday night and that only Jewish settlers will be allowed access to the holy site to celebrate their holiday.
Abu Sneineh stressed that closing the Ibrahimi Mosque before Muslim worshipers and visitors and banning the Adhan (call for prayer) at the site constitute a blatant violation of Muslims’ freedom of worship.
The IOA in 1994 divided the Ibrahimi Mosque into two sections: The first is for Muslim worshipers while the other is for Jews. Muslims are permitted access into the two sections of the Mosque for 10 days only every year.
