WEST BANK (Dispatches) – The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)’s Human Rights Department says preventing Palestinians from accessing Ibrahimi Mosque in the West Bank city of Al-Khalil “is a violation of international laws and conventions.”
In a statement issued on the 28th anniversary of the massacre of Ibrahimi Mosque, the Human Rights Department proclaimed, “Since 25 February, 1994, Palestinians have been prevented from reaching the mosque, praying inside it and raising Azan a lot of the times that the Zionist settlers do not desire.”
On 25 February, 1994, extremist Zionist settler Baruch Goldstein opened fire at Palestinian worshippers while Palestinians performed dawn prayer at Ibrahimi Mosque, killing 29 worshippers and wounding over 100 others.
“Since then, the Israeli occupation authorities have been Judaising Ibrahimi Mosque by preventing Palestinians from entering it when the settlers celebrate their rituals,” the statement shared.
“This is considered a violation of all the international laws and conventions related to human rights and freedom of worship,” the PLO’s statement added.
“Instead of punishing the criminal and those who protected him and provided him with coverage, the occupation forces punished the victims by imposing their control over the holy site and placing it at the settlers’ disposal,” the statement said.
The statement concluded by calling on the “international community to stand up to its responsibilities and provide international protection for the Palestinians and their holy sites under occupation.”
Al-Khalil is the biggest city in the West Bank, home to more than 200,000 Palestinians. About 1,000 Zionist settlers, who engage in frequent attacks on Palestinians, also live there under heavy military protection.