Palestinian protesters vandalized the Tomb of Joseph, a Jewish holy site in the West Bank, amid clashes sparked by a series of Arab and Palestinian attacks in Israel. The information that a group of 100 Palestinians marched towards the tomb, which is in the city of Nablus, and set fire to it on Saturday (9) is by Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Ran Kochav, according to the Jerusalem Post newspaper.
“We will not accept this kind of attack on a place that is sacred to us, especially on the eve of Passover,” said Israeli Prime Minister Naftali. Bennett. “Let’s find the troublemakers. Of course, we will make sure to rebuild what they destroyed, as we always do,” he said.
The tomb attack came amid protests after a Palestinian killed three people and wounded several others in a shooting in Tel Aviv on Thursday (7). Since the end of March, they have been killed in a series of Arab and Palestinian attacks. Meanwhile, more than 20 Palestinians, many of them armed militants, have been killed by Israeli forces since January. The information is from the New York Post newspaper.
The attack on The eve of Easter further intensifies religious tensions that were already high, as the Jewish holiday coincides this year with the Muslim month of Ramadan. Jews believe that the tomb is where the biblical patriarch Joseph is buried. The favorite son of Jacob (who later came to be called Israel), Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery and sent to Egypt. There he interpreted a dream of Pharaoh and became his administrator, building granaries that saved the Egyptian people from famine.
Muslims claim that the tomb is that of a sheikh. The site was handed over to the Palestinian Authority in 2000, after a shooting with victims. Jewish worshipers have limited access to the tomb for prayers, being escorted by the Israel Defense Forces.
