AMMAN: Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Friday strongly condemned Israel for its decision to strip Hebron Municipality of its planning and construction authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque in the West Bank.
The ministry described the move as a blatant violation of international law and the historical and legal status quo at the holy site, the Jordan News Agency reported.
On Wednesday, the Israeli Civil Administration, which oversees the occupied West Bank, said it had transferred planning powers from the Palestinian Authority’s Hebron Municipality to its own Supreme Planning Council. The announcement was accompanied by approval for a project to construct a roof over the mosque’s internal courtyard, a move that has drawn fierce opposition from Palestinians.
The municipality condemned the decision as a “serious and illegal violation” by Israeli authorities, describing it as part of a systematic effort to alter the status quo at the mosque and weaken the authority of Palestinian institutions responsible for its management.
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said Israel, as the occupying power, was acting unlawfully by unilaterally approving construction work at the mosque and stripping Palestinian authorities of their administrative powers. The actions undermine Islamic administration of the site, it warned.
Fouad Al-Majali, official spokesperson for the ministry, affirmed Jordan’s “absolute rejection and severe condemnation” of continuing illegal, unilateral actions by Israel in the occupied West Bank.
Such actions constitute clear violations of international law and international humanitarian law, he added, including the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, and UN resolutions.
Al-Majali also highlighted the 2017 decision by UNESCO to add Hebron’s Old City, and the Ibrahimi Mosque, to its the List of World Heritage in Danger.
He urged the international community to fulfill its “legal and moral responsibilities” by compelling Israeli authorities to halt their illegal activities in the occupied territory, and protect and preserve the cultural and religious heritage of the Ibrahimi Mosque, which he said was under increasing threat as a result of Israel’s actions.
Regional security and a just and comprehensive peace will remain impossible goals unless the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people are fulfilled, Al-Majali said, including the right to self-determination, including the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
