Two Jews were shot and wounded while trying to reach Joseph’s tomb near the West Bank city of Nablus, Israeli forces said Monday morning.
The two men, who belong to the Bratslav Hasidic community, attempted to get to the shrine without consulting the military, who normally monitor visits by Jewish worshipers.
The circumstances of the shooting were not immediately clear. The army said the men went through an unmanned roadblock at the entrance to Nablus.
The incident came a day after Palestinians vandalized parts of the shrine and set it on fire, prompting widespread condemnation in Israel.
According to Channel 12 News, the pair said they wanted to help with the shrine’s restoration.
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After the shooting, the men and the rest of their group managed to reach an IDF checkpoint near the shrine, where they were given first aid and taken to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikvah, the army said.
The two men sustained minor to moderate injuries and the IDF was investigating the circumstances of their injuries.
On Sunday night, around 100 Palestinians broke into the compound, rioted, smashed objects inside and set it on fire before being driven out by Palestinian security forces, IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Ran Kochav said.
Images on social media showed parts of the tomb inside the shrine smashed and charred.
Joseph’s Tomb, damaged by rioters, April 10, 2022 (courtesy)
The unrest came amid clashes between Palestinian gunmen and IDF soldiers in the nearby Balata refugee camp in the Jenin area.
Footage showed dozens of Palestinians entering the compound and smashing objects inside. The tomb is revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims and has often been a focal point for violence.
Some Jews believe that the biblical Joseph is buried in the tomb, while Muslims say that a sheikh is buried there. The army, in coordination with the Palestinian security forces, escorts Jewish believers to the site several times a year.
#شاهد انطلاق مسيرة غاضبة في مخيم بلاطة بــ #نابلس، تجاه قبر يوسف، نصرة لـ #جنين. pic.twitter.com/4Ypi9meih7
— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) April 9, 2022
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett led Sunday’s condemnation of the night’s vandalism at Joseph’s tomb and said he was appalled by images of the damage to the shrine.
“During the night the Palestinians destroyed Joseph’s tomb. Dozens of Palestinian rioters in a campaign of destruction simply violated a sacred place for us, the Jews,” Bennett said at the beginning of the cabinet meeting.
“They broke the headstone on the grave, set fire to rooms in the grounds – I saw the pictures and was shocked,” he said.
“We will not endure such an attack on a place that is sacred to us – on the eve of Passover – and we will join the rioters,” he said. “And of course we will ensure that what they destroyed is rebuilt, as we always do.”
Defense Secretary Benny Gantz said the vandalism was a “serious event” and said he had sent a “strong message” to the Palestinian Authority about the attack on the shrine. Gantz said Israel will work quickly to “ensure the site is renovated and quickly restored to its original condition.”
Benny Gantz (right) and Yair Lapid in the Knesset on November 18, 2019. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
Joseph’s tomb is in Area A of the West Bank, which is officially under full Palestinian Authority control, although the Israeli military conducts activities there. The IDF prohibits Israeli citizens from entering Zone A without prior permission.
Jewish pilgrims are usually only allowed to visit the tomb once a month under heavily armed guard. During these visits, Palestinians routinely throw stones at the troops and sometimes attack them with Molotov cocktails and gunfire.
Also the shrine was burned in the past.
The night’s attack came during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan – often a time of high tension in Israel and the West Bank.
Israel has experienced four deadly terrorist attacks in recent weeks and, in response, has stepped up security and carried out a series of raids in the West Bank.
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