Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netnayahu Wednesday evening carried out a provocative "visit" to al-Ibrahimi mosque in the southern occupied West Bank city of Hebron amidst tight security measures that affected the city’s Palestinian population and which came following a "visit" by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.

Netanyahu said at an election campaign to win settlers’ vote in al-Ibrahimi mosque that "we are not strangers to Hebron and we will stay here forever."

"I am proud that my government was the first to develop the ghetto program in the city [of Hebron] to build dozens of new housing units." He said.

Israeli forces clamped a curfew on the Palestinian neighborhoods of the old section of Hebron as hundreds of soldiers and police were deployed in preparation for Netanyahu’s controversial "visit."