Israel Grants Jewish Settlers Authority Over Ibrahimi Mosque Compound in West Bank

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Israeli authorities have revoked the administrative authority of the Palestinian city of Hebron over Ibrahimi Mosque in the West Bank and handed it over to the council of illegal Jewish settlers, according to the Israeli daily newspaper Hayom on Tuesday, as reported by Anadolu.

Describing the move as a "historic and unprecedented change," the newspaper stated that the Israeli Civil Administration transferred authority over the holy site to the religious council of the Kiryat Arba settlement, located adjacent to Hebron in the occupied West Bank.

The report did not detail the scope of the transferred authority but stated that it aimed to facilitate "structural changes" at the site.

This marks the first major change in the status of the mosque since the recommendations of the Shamgar Commission in 1994, which divided access, allocating 63 percent of the site to Jewish worshippers and 37 percent to Muslims.

The division followed the 1994 massacre by the extremist settler Baruch Goldstein, who killed 29 Palestinian worshippers during the Fajr prayer.

According to the newspaper, the Civil Administration has long sought to implement structural changes at the location, including renovating the roof and constructing the "Jacob's Courtyard," used for Jewish worship almost year-round.

There has been no official confirmation from Israeli authorities or response from the Palestinian government to the report.

In a statement issued on February 26, the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs reiterated that the Masjid Ibrahimi, also known as the Cave of the Patriarchs and the Cave of Machpelah, is an "exclusive Islamic endowment" and condemned Israel's attempts to convert the mosque into a Jewish synagogue.

The mosque is located in the Old City of Hebron, in an area fully controlled by Israel, where around 400 illegal settlers reside under the protection of approximately 1,500 Israeli soldiers.

U.S. Urges Israel to Investigate Killing of Its Citizen in the West Bank

Still from the West Bank, the United States government has urged Israel to investigate the death of 20-year-old American citizen Sayfollah Musallet. He was killed after being beaten by Israeli settlers in the town of Sinjil, the West Bank. Musallet, who was from Florida, was visiting his family in Palestine when he was attacked.

As reported by Anadolu, the incident occurred last Friday, July 11. Musallet's family stated that a group of Israeli settlers surrounded the victim and hindered the ambulance and medical personnel from assisting for three hours. Musallet died before reaching the hospital.

In the same attack, a Palestinian named Mohammed Shalabi was also shot dead by settlers, according to Palestinian health officials.

U.S. Ambassador's Statement

The U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, condemned the incident and urged Israel to address this case seriously. "I have asked Israel to aggressively investigate the murder of Saif Mussallet, an American citizen who was visiting family in Sinjil when he was beaten to death. There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act. Saif was just 20 years old," Huckabee wrote via account X on Wednesday, July 16, 2025.

The Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) stated that Israel cannot be trusted to investigate the extremist settlers that it has continuously supported. "Israel’s government cannot be trusted to investigate the extremist settlers it enables at every turn," IMEU wrote in a formal statement.

Several U.S. lawmakers also expressed condolences and urged the U.S. Department of State to investigate Musallet's murder. According to Al Jazeera, Musallet was the ninth U.S. citizen to be killed due to Israeli violence since 2022. None of these cases has resulted in criminal charges.

Violence in the West Bank

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, a total of 998 Palestinians have been killed and over 7,000 injured in the West Bank since October 2023 due to Israeli military attacks and violence from illegal settlers. These attacks occurred amid Israel's conflict in the Gaza Strip, which has been ongoing since late last year.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal and called for the evacuation of all Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Editor's Choice: U.S. Envoy Asks Israel to Probe Killing of Palestinian American in West Bank Settler Violence

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