Some 2,000 people prayed at Joseph's Tomb in Nablus on Wednesday night. The visit was pre-arranged and coordinated by the Shomron Regional Council and the Shechem Echad foundation. Among the visitors was Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz who put up a mezuzah in the site for the first time in 11 years, since the death of Madhat Yusuf in 2000.
Visitors also included Shomron Regional Council head Gershon Mesika, the chief IDF rabbi and army commanders.
Related stories:
"The time has come for us to return to this site in order to continue Joseph's legacy and resume our sovereignty," Katz said. "Together we shall develop transportation infrastructure to fortify the settlement enterprise. " The minister said that despite prior incidents "these holy sites are the safest."
Minister Katz at Joseph's Tomb (Photo: Shomron Regional Council)
Mesika thanked Katz and said that the minister's visit and his placing of the mezuzah was a historic event. "A little over a year ago the council and the IDF renovated the tomb. No nation would allow such a sacred place to be disgraced." He called for Israeli sovereignty in the site in accordance with the Oslo Accords.
Worshippers entered the site on fortified buses and with a security escort. No unusual incidents were recorded.