Israel Defense Forces soldiers rescued a group of Israeli civilians overnight Thursday after they clashed with Palestinians while trying to reach Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus, central Samaria.
After several of the pilgrims managed to enter the Jewish holy site in the Palestinian city, a violent confrontation developed between them and locals, the military said.
Some of the Israelis sustained light injuries. They were evacuated by the IDF and handed over to the Israel Police for questioning.
“The entry of Israeli civilians into Area A is dangerous and prohibited by law,” the military said, referring to places under the full control of the Palestinian Authority according to the Oslo Accords.
In March, 15 mayors of Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria signed on to an initiative calling for a permanent Jewish presence at Joseph’s Tomb. The initiative—led by Rabbi David Ben-Natan, whose son Sgt. Shuvael Ben-Natan was killed in action Southern Lebanon last year—has also received support from Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan.
The local leaders are demanding that Jerusalem restore Jewish rule over Joseph’s Tomb, return the Od Yosef Chai Yeshivah to its initial location in the tomb’s compound and allow the general public to visit and pray.
Joseph’s Tomb has frequently been the target of Arab vandals. When the Israeli government abandoned the site days after a deadly attack there in 2000, it elicited a promise from the Palestinians that it would be protected. It was destroyed shortly afterward.
After 2022, security conditions in Judea and Samaria deteriorated to the point that Israeli forces again began operating in Nablus. At first, small groups of Jewish worshippers made risky attempts to pray at the tomb, unauthorized and without military escort. Larger groups now regularly enter at night, generally accompanied by a heavy military presence.
Agam Berger, an IDF field observer who was freed from Hamas in Gaza on Jan. 30 after 482 days, prayed at Joseph’s Tomb in March.
Berger, who has spoken extensively about how she kept faith during her time in captivity, visited the site under heavy security together with her mother, Dagan, Samaria Chief Rabbi Elyakim Levanon and military officials.
Berger and Dagan lit a candle at the site, and the Samaria council head presented her with a certificate of appreciation citing her words after being released: “I chose the path of faith.”
Levanon blessed Agam and her mother and led a prayer for the return of all the captives and for victory in the war against Hamas.