Palestinian stone-throwers on Monday lightly injured an Israeli among a group of five Jews who came under attack while visiting Joseph’s Tomb on the outskirts of Shechem (Nablus).
Palestinian Authority security forces rescued the Israelis and transferred them to the IDF.
The Israelis had not received permission for or coordinated the pilgrimage in advance.
According to the 1995 Oslo II Agreement, the tomb complex is an enclave under Israeli security control within Area A under full Palestinian control.
Visits to the place were initially made under the protection of civilian security personnel, but subsequently, the need for military security was recognized.
In late August, four Israeli soldiers were wounded during an operation to secure entry for civilians to the Joseph’s Tomb compound.
An improvised explosive device was set off as the soldiers passed by, and dozens of people were injured in related clashes.
A month earlier, one Palestinian was reported dead and several wounded in clashes that erupted when Islamic Jihad terrorists attacked worshippers and their military escort at the Jewish shrine.
Palestinians have regularly attacked Jews visiting the site, and Arab vandals last year set fire to the structure, smashing parts of the tomb itself and causing other damage.
The worst damage took place during the Second Intifada in 2000, after Israel pulled out of the area following a deadly terrorist attack there in October of that year. Rioting Palestinians looted and razed the structure.
Israelis started visiting again in 2004 following the IDF’s “Operation Defensive Shield” offensive in 2002, albeit on a limited basis. The structure was refurbished between 2009 and 2010.
Visits, typically on or near the beginning of the new Hebrew month or during Jewish holidays, take place in the middle of the night, with visitors arriving in bulletproof buses escorted by IDF troops.
