A majority of 62 out of 120 lawmakers in the Knesset, including most members of the coalition, signed a petition calling to maintain a Jewish presence inside the West Bank city of Nablus, at a site traditionally believed to be Joseph's tomb.
The IDF withdrew from the area 25 years ago in the wake of the second intifada. Under the Oslo Accords, the tomb is recognized as an Israeli-controlled enclave within Area A, which is otherwise under full Palestinian Authority control. In practice, access to the site has been limited to coordinated IDF escorts, and the compound has been repeatedly vandalized by Palestinians.
The initiative advanced by far-right members of the Knesset and leaders of the West Bank settlement movement was under review in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense committee, which was to hear the opinion of the military in the coming days.
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The push came during the IDF's anti-terror operation in the West Bank, seen by settler leaders and their allies in government as an opportunity to establish a continuous presence at the site which is sacred to Jews and Muslims.
A move to reestablish an IDF outpost at the site would mark a dramatic shift in Israeli policy and could provoke sharp international criticism. It may also undermine the Palestinian Authority’s governance in and around Nablus, where its control is already fragile.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz are among the senior officials reportedly backing the effort, which dovetails with a broader push to entrench Israeli presence in the West Bank, including retroactive authorization of settlements previously evacuated under the 2005 disengagement plan.