Al-Khalil: Palestinians Celebrate Prophet Birthday Under Israeli Restrictions
On Thursday, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Al-Khalil marked the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) with a religious ceremony and festive decorations. However, they also faced heavy restrictions from the Israeli forces near the Ibrahimi Mosque, where the event took place.
The Islamic Waqf department organized the ceremony, which included sermons and religious songs, in the mosque that is believed to be the burial site of the prophets Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The mosque is revered by both Muslims and Jews and was divided between them after a Jewish extremist settler killed 29 Palestinian worshippers inside it in 1994.
The old city of Al-Khalil was also adorned with balloons, light ropes and banners to commemorate Prophet Muhammad's birthday.
Ghassan Al-Rajbi, director of the Ibrahimi Mosque, told Anadolu that the mosque was fully opened for the worshippers to celebrate the occasion. He added that the Israeli forces intensified their measures near the mosque by searching the people and checking their IDs.
The Ibrahimi Mosque and the old city of Al-Khalil were added to UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2017. Al-Khalil is home to about 160,000 Palestinian Muslims and 500 Israeli settlers who live in heavily guarded enclaves.
Source: Agencies
