Israeli settlers raise national flag atop Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Israeli settlers raised the national flag atop the Ibrahimi Mosque in the West Bank city of Hebron ahead of Israel’s “Independence Day”, local media reported Wednesday.

Nedal al-Jaabari, the head of Hebron’s Waqf, or Islamic endowment, which is in charge of administering the mosque, condemned the act “as a provocation to the feelings of Muslims and a blatant violation of the sanctity of holy sites and of all international conventions and norms,” said the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

According to the news agency, a group of settlers guarded by Israeli forces placed the flag on top of the Muslim holy site to celebrate Israel’s “Independence Day”. Celebrations marking the day began on Wednesday evening.

On Feb. 25, 1994, during the dawn prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque, hundreds of Palestinians were attacked in mass shootings and bombings. The gruesome attack left 29 worshippers dead and dozens of others wounded.

Palestinians say the attack was planned by a group of Jewish settlers with indirect assistance from the Israeli army, which was not at the scene during the massacre.

Muslims attach great value to the Ibrahimi Mosque, as they believe it was built above the tomb of Prophet Ibrahim (Prophet Abraham).

Jewish settlers also revere the place, calling it the Cave of the Patriarch due to their belief that the tombs of Prophet Abraham and his wife Sarah are located in a cave below the mosque.

Amnesty International recently declared Israel guilty of the crime of apartheid against Palestinians.