Khaberni -Israel Hayom reported on Tuesday that a decision was made to withdraw powers from the Municipality of Hebron in the southern West Bank and transfer them to the Religious Council in the settlement of Kiryat Arba.
The sources stated that this is the first time significant changes have been made in the Ibrahimi Mosque since 1994.
They added that Israel is taking what it calls an unprecedented historic step to change the existing conditions at the Ibrahimi Mosque.
The newspaper did not specify the nature of the powers transferred to the Religious Council in the settlement of Kiryat Arba, but mentioned that this step aims to push forward structural modifications in this Islamic landmark.
This is the first time that radical changes to the status of the Ibrahimi Mosque have been made since the decisions of what is called the "Shamgar Committee" in 1994, according to Israel Hayom.
At that time, the committee recommended dividing the Ibrahimi Mosque, allocating 63% to the Jews and 37% to the Muslims.
The division followed the massacre committed by settler Baruch Goldstein, which resulted in the death of 29 Palestinians who were performing the Fajr (dawn) prayers in the Ibrahimi Mosque.
Over the past years, the pace of Judaization of the Ibrahimi Mosque has accelerated, including the appropriation of the powers of the Palestinian Waqf, banning the call to prayer (Adhan), and allowing Jews to expand within the mosque.
The Ibrahimi Mosque is located in the Old City of Hebron, named after it, featuring domes covered with what some historical sources claim are the graves of the Prophet Abraham, his wife Sarah, and the prophets Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Joseph, and their wives.
