The Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) has condemned the Israeli government’s reported seizure of authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, describing the move as an attack on Palestinian rights, religious freedoms and international law.
In a statement, the Washington-based organisation said the action was “yet another attempt to consolidate its illegal occupation of Palestinian land, undermine Palestinian self-governance, and alter the historic status of one of Islam’s holiest sites”.
Cair said the decision follows “a long pattern of efforts to restrict Muslim access to sacred places, expand illegal settlements, and entrench a system of permanent occupation and dispossession”.
The group called on the international community to reject what it described as the latest escalation and said “holy sites [to] be protected from political manipulation, annexation, and unilateral actions that inflame tensions and threaten religious freedom”.
It also urged governments to hold the Israeli government accountable for actions it said violate international law and harm prospects for a lasting peace.
