The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) strongly condemned today, Thursday, the Israeli occupation’s illegal decision to transfer the authority to manage and oversee the Ibrahimi Mosque (the Sanctuary of Abraham) from the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs and the Hebron Municipality to the so-called Jewish Religious Council in the settlement of Kiryat Arba.

In a statement, the OIC considered this move a blatant violation of international resolutions, including those issued by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on the matter.

The OIC warned of the dangerous implications of these illegal measures, which are part of the Israeli occupation’s attempts to alter the historical, legal, and religious status of Islamic holy sites in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The organization affirmed that all decisions and measures taken by the Israeli occupation in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal and null under international law.

It called on the international community, the United Nations, and UNESCO to uphold their responsibilities and take necessary measures to protect the Ibrahimi Mosque in the city of Hebron from the violations and attacks of the Israeli occupation, ensuring respect for the sanctity of holy sites and the freedom of worship and access to them.

Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation-affiliated newspaper Israel Hayom revealed that the occupation authorities had taken an unprecedented step aimed at altering the status quo at the Ibrahimi Mosque by stripping the Hebron Municipality of its authority and transferring it to the religious council of the Kiryat Arba settlement, built on the city’s lands.