A senior United Nations official voiced concern at Israel’s announcement that it was adding two religious sites in occupied Palestinian territory to its list of national heritage sites, warning against moves that could prejudice the resumption of peace talks.
Noting that the Israeli announcement concerning the tombs of the biblical patriarch Abraham in Al-Khalil (Hebron) and the biblical matriarch Rachel in Bethlehem had led to heightened tensions, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry stressed that the sites are of historical and religious significance not only to Judaism but also to Islam and Christianity.
“I urge Israel not to take any steps on the ground which undermine trust or could prejudice negotiations, the resumption of which should be the highest shared priority of all who seek peace,” he said in a statement, referring to Israeli-Palestinian peace talks that have been stalled for over a year.
“I also call for restraint and calm. As I underscored in my visit to Al-Khalil, last week, I would like to see more positive steps by Israel to enable Palestinian development and state-building in the area and throughout the West Bank, reflecting a genuine commitment to the two-State solution,” he added .
It’s worth mentioning to say that the Ibrahimi Mosque in Khalil has been built atop of a cave believed to hold the tombs of Prophet Ibrahim – peace be upon him-,(Abraham) and his family. The cave is called the Cave of Machpela, which is included in the piece of property believed to be the first piece of land bought by Prophet Ibrahim. The mosque has been in existence since 1206 and resembles a fortress. It is full of mosaics and multi colored marble floors and walls. Salah al Din al Ayyubbi brought walnut pulpits for preaching and religious lessons from Egypt to the Ibrahimi Mosque.
Earthquakes and wars have taken their toll on the mosque during the Umayyed period but renovations, along with further infrastructures were accomplished. The mosque includes a school, a dike, a drinking fountain, a hospital for the mentally disabled and a mail center on its grounds that were constructed during the Mamluk period.
The historic beauty and importance of the Ibrahimi Mosque was tainted when radical settlers of the Kiryat Arba kibbutz, set upon the mosque in during the Friday prayers in February 25th, 1994. Dr, Benjamin Goldstein, alias Barukh Goldstein, an American Jew, born and educated in New York, led the attack upon hundreds of innocents in prayer. Men, women, and children were attacked and fatally wounded or killed whilst concentrating upon their subservience to God. When Barukh Goldstein entered, along with other settlers from the kibbutz, they proceeded to fire high velocity machine guns upon the backs of the kneeling persons in prayer. Over 300 persons were wounded and 48 dead on site of this horrid massacre. Israeli Occupation Authorities closed the mosque after the massacre but until now the settlers have not been punished and suicide bombings near the settlement began, born out of despair.
UN news center/Ab