Activists on behalf of Joseph's Tomb, primarily Breslov Hasidim associated with the Shuvu Banim community, are planning to “seize” the tomb—located in the heart of the Palestinian West Bank city of Nablus—without coordination with the army, Ynet learned on Sunday.
The plan comes after, over the past two days, Hasidim who entered the tomb compound were attacked by Palestinians and had to be evacuated by Palestinian security forces and the IDF.
Sunday morning, a group of Hasidim entered for a brief prayer service without coordination, and activist groups engaged in the matter wrote: “Did you think it was over? It hasn’t even started, and now with full force, with maximum energy and agency. Now we take the law into our own hands and conquer Nablus without an army, without uniforms, without weapons, without ammunition; Without bulletproof vests, without Kevlar, without tanks and without armored personnel carriers. Yes, that is what you heard, on foot with sleeping bags, a set of Talmud and Mishnayot, and with Psalms. This is our human shield! Joseph, we won’t sell you a second time."
The Hasidim did not reveal when they plan to attempt to “seize” the tomb, but they intend to enter and stay in the location for an extended period, following this period in which they have been sneaking at night through uncoordinated entrances.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
This group sometimes visits the tombs of righteous sages and ancestral graves across the West Bank and, recently, along the border with Lebanon. “We will not leave righteous Joseph alone,” one of the group members, Nachman, told Ynet. “We are not willing to come just once a month and only with the army, but to arrive in a dignified manner.”
Currently, the IDF oversees the entrance of hundreds of Jewish pilgrims a month to mark Rosh Chodesh or the new month on the Hebrew calendar.
Over the weekend, dozens of ultra-Orthodox pilgrims entered Joseph’s Tomb without security coordination, from several entry points, and clashes erupted with Palestinians that included stone-throwing. Several of the ultra-Orthodox pilgrims sustained minor injuries; an IDF force evacuated them, and four were detained for questioning.
In December, shots were fired at Hasidim who entered the tomb in Nablus without coordination; three of them were lightly wounded. The most serious incident occurred in April 2011, when Ben-Yosef Livnat —who had come to pray at the site—was murdered.
On Friday morning, following that clash during which several tomb visitors were injured and others arrested, the IDF emphasized that “the entry of Israeli civilians into Area A is dangerous and legally forbidden.”