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HEBRON (Ma’an) -- Settlers raised the Israeli flag on top of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron on Friday, in the first incident of its kind since 1967, a local official said.

Zaid Jaabari, director of the Islamic Endowment, or Waqf, in Hebron slammed the incident as an assault on the sanctity of the mosque and a serious provocation.

Hebron Governor Kamal Hamid said the Israeli government was fully responsible for settler attacks, labeling their actions as clear incitement.

A 1997 agreement split Hebron into areas of Palestinian and Israeli control.

The Israeli military-controlled H2 zone includes the ancient Old City, home of the revered Ibrahimi Mosque -- also split into a synagogue referred to as the Tomb of the Patriarchs.

Around 800 Jewish settlers live in Hebron's Old City, among 30,000 Palestinians in the parts of the city that are under Israeli control.

Settlers in Hebron physically and verbally abuse local Palestinians on a regular basis and rarely face any legal proceedings.

The Ibrahimi Mosque is considered the fourth holiest site in Islam.