RAMALLAH, West Bank — The mosques in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are still an arena of political conflict between the governments of those areas and religious parties of various orientations.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) became aware of the mosques’ political importance after Hamas’ victory in the 2006 legislative elections. Back then, the mosques were used to disseminate political ideas. The authorities sought to terminate that phenomenon after the split in 2007.