Nine Israeli citizens were arrested by IDF soldiers Thursday night after entering Joseph's Tomb in the West Bank city of Nablus. They were turned in for police questioning.
Four other Israelis spotted on the premises managed to escape the troops through the Balata refugee camp in the city.
A military source told Ynet that "incidents in which Israelis enter Nablus, and Joseph's Tomb in particular, are very troubling… just yesterday we had a very close call, which could have resulted in a lynching. These kinds of events make the IDF divert forces from fighting terror to searching after Israelis who enter the city.
"We expect the legal system to prosecute them to the full extant of the law, so others will be discourages from similar actions."
Members of the Breslov Hasidim congregation told Ynet that "nothing will stop (us) from entering the city… the IDF has already realized it has to allow orderly entries into the tomb. Neither arrests nor security hazards will stop us."
The Kfar Saba Magistrate's Court remanded the nine to custody.