Hebron Mayor Youssef Al-Jaabari on Thursday rejected claims by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich regarding “sovereignty” over the city of Hebron and the Ibrahimi Mosque, stressing that Hebron is an ancient Palestinian city and that the Ibrahimi Mosque is a firmly established religious, cultural and human heritage site.
اضافة اعلان
In a press statement, Al-Jaabari said Hebron belongs to its people, who were born in its streets, lived in its neighborhoods and passed down its history from one generation to another. He stressed that “occupation does not create a right, force does not confer legitimacy, and measures imposed on the ground do not change the reality of the place or the identity of its people.”
He reiterated that Hebron is a historic Palestinian city and that the Ibrahimi Mosque represents an established religious, cultural and human heritage, bearing witness to the city’s Palestinian identity and its deep Arab and Islamic roots. He stressed that the Palestinians’ “right is authentic and deeply rooted there, and it will remain.”
The Hebron Municipality’s statement came in response to remarks made by Smotrich from inside the Ibrahimi Mosque after the completion of a settlement project to roof the mosque’s courtyard and alter its historic and cultural features.
The project followed the Israeli authorities’ removal of planning and construction powers in the area from the Hebron Municipality and their transfer to Israeli authorities.
Smotrich had claimed that “the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron is the first sovereign property of the Jewish people,” adding that “Hebron is ours and will remain ours forever.”
