On Thursday morning, a group of 50 Jews entered Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem (Nablus) for prayers accompanied by IDF troops. Jewish visitation to their holy site is limited to one night each month when hundreds usually arrive at the grave of the Biblical figure.
The previous evening, the “Lion’s Den”, a Palestinian terrorist group, issued a warning, threatening to kill any Jew who entered the holy site.
“Entering the compound will be a death sentence for a large number of settlers,” the terrorist organization said.
Among the people that visited the site were Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, his deputy Davidi Ben-Zion, Itamar Rabbi Daniel Luntzer, Judea and Samaria Division Commander Brigadier General Avi Bluth, and Samaria Brigade Commander Lieutenant Colonel Shimon Sisu.
Dagan stated: “We are visiting Joseph’s Tomb during Sukkot, on the symbolic date during which it is customary to ‘host’ the biblical Joseph. During the time of [former Prime Minister] Ehud Barak, the Israeli government ran away from Joseph’s Tomb and the holy site was desecrated, burned, and destroyed time after time. We pulled out of the communities in northern Samaria, and we got a wave of terrorism in Tel Aviv, Elad, Bnei Brak, Shavei Shomron, and Jerusalem. Because whoever runs away from terrorism, terrorism chases him.”
The Defense Minister and Chief of Staff did a good thing when they made the clear decision not to surrender to the brazen threats by terror organizations, and to allow entry to the tomb. Terrorism’s goal is that Israel will be afraid of it and the only way to beat it is to return fire, to move from defense to offense.”
In June Palestinians attacked worshipers under IDF escort, as well as a group of worshippers who entered the city in September without coordinating with the IDF.
In 1995, in accordance with the Oslo Accords, the jurisdiction of Nablus was handed over to the Palestinian Authority. However, Israel retained control of several religious sites, one of which was Joseph’s Tomb. The Interim Agreement stipulated that: “Both sides shall respect and protect the religious rights of Jews, Christians, Muslims and Samaritans concerning the protection and free access to the holy sites and freedom of worship and practice.” In 1996, Palestinian rioters murdered six IDF soldiers at the army outpost at the site and destroyed the religious site. The site was then turned over to PA security forces, after which it was targeted by arson and ransacked.
The site was eventually returned to IDF control, but in the Intifada in 2000, the site was again targeted multiple times. The dome was painted green, signifying Muslim occupation, after which the site was once again turned over to the PA. The site was once again torched and ransacked by the Palestinians.
After the events of October 2000, the IDF prohibited Israeli access to the tomb. In 2002, the tomb was retaken by the IDF, and shortly afterward, in response to numerous requests, they renewed guarded tours of the tomb. One day every month, at midnight, as many as 800 visitors were allowed to pray at the gravesite. However, soon after, citing security reasons, Israel re-imposed a ban on Jewish pilgrims obtaining special permits and traveling to the tomb. A few months later, the tomb was ransacked yet again. The IDF responded it had no plans to secure the site.
In 2007, at the request of several MKs, a group of Jews was allowed to visit the site, reporting that the dome was gradually being destroyed and the surrounding area was being turned into a garbage dump. In 2008, the site was renovated.
As of 2009, monthly visits to the tomb in bullet-proof vehicles under heavy IDF protection are permitted. In late April 2009, a group of Jewish worshipers found the headstone smashed and swastikas painted on the walls, and boot prints on the grave itself.
On 24 April 2011, PA police officers opened fire on three cars of Israeli worshipers after they finished praying at Joseph’s tomb. An Israeli citizen was killed, and three others were wounded.
Palestinian violence at Joseph’s Tomb is not in response to any constant Israeli military presence or attempts to establish a Jewish presence there. Palestinian rioters object to Jewish prayer at the site, going so far as to burn the building to the ground in 2000, claiming it was better to destroy the tomb rather than allow any other religion access.
