For the first time in 25 years, Jewish pilgrims will soon be allowed to visit Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus during daylight hours, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Monday.
The shrine, which is venerated by Jews, Samaritans, Christians and Muslims, has a history of decades of Palestinian violence.
The move will expand the heavily guarded nighttime visiting hours, enabling pilgrims to stay at the shrine, located on the outskirts of the Palestinian city in Samaria, during the morning hours for prayers as well.
The holy site, which remains under Israeli control according to the 1990s Oslo Accords despite its location in a Palestinian-designated area, had previously been restricted to sporadic nighttime visits until 4 a.m. due to security reasons. Now, it will remain open to Jewish pilgrims until 8 a.m., the Defense Ministry said in a statement, with a further potential daytime expansion to be examined in the future.
This change, set to go into effect in the coming weeks, was agreed by Katz and military authorities, although specific start dates or schedules must still be coordinated with security forces.
The decision, which was taken in coordination with political officials, updated a nighttime-only policy put in place in 2000 when the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva at Joseph’s Tomb was evacuated on the orders of then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who also served as defense minister, following Palestinian violence at the site that led to the death of an Israeli border police officer.
The Druze officer, Madhat Yusuf, succumbed to his wounds at the scene after Palestinian security forces prevented his medical evacuation for more than five hours in an incident that shook the nation.
Sporadic Israeli visits later resumed in 2002 under military escort and advance coordination.
