About 100 Palestinian rioters entered Kever Yosef in Shechem last night, rioting, setting fire to the compound, breaking stones on the kever, and setting the place on fire.
The destruction comes 7 years after Kever Yosef was last set on fire. At the time, the Shomron Regional Council renovated and repaired the kever.
The head of the Shomron Regional Council, Yossi Dagan, has been in touch with officials in the government about the latest disgraceful vandalism.
This morning, Defense Minister Benny Gantz issued a statement issued in 3 languages - Hebrew, Arabic and English – on the incident. “The incident of the destruction of Kever Yosef is extremely serious,” said Gantz. “This is a serious violation of the freedom of worship in one of the holiest places for every Jew.”
Gantz said that “Israel will take care to repair the compound, return it to its original condition quickly, and take all measures so that such a thing does not happen again. At the same time, this morning, I sent a sharp message to the Palestinian Authority, which is required to strengthen its forces in the area immediately, and to act against the rioters and terrorists who harm stability and security in the holy places. ”
Dagan, in a statement, said, “This is an act that no Jew should not be shocked by, destroying one of the holy places for the Jewish people just before Pesach. This is happening only because the State of Israel has abandoned one of the holy places for the Jewish people ‘for the preservation’ of the Palestinian Authority. We demand the immediate return of the IDF to Kever Yosef and also to Yeshiva Od Yosef Chai. The people of Israel in their sovereign state must maintain their sanctity. The act done tonight must be condemned by everyone. This is damage not only to the property of the Jewish people, but damage to a historic site that is thousands of years old.”
Dagan added, “Once again, the barbarians from the Palestinian Authority have shown their true face: the same as ISIS. The Palestinian Authority is unreliable at best and causes terrorism all over the country, and the barbarism at Kever Yosef as we now see once again.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
It’s shocking that wild animals are acting like wild animals?
The only surprise is that since the Arabs claim that it’s their sheikh’s tomb, how could they desecrate such a site. The answer is that absolutely nothing is holy to them, nothing!
From this to playing soccer on Har Habayis, which they call their third holiest site.
As the posuk calls them פרא אדם, that is who they are.
Horrific but not shocking, i remember this being done before
Both sides have to tone down the inflammatory rhetoric. Israel must give away more strategic land to the Palestinians if there is ever a hope for lasting peace.
Jewish politicians in Israel and the US should never have a good word for these terrorists, thugs, and vandals. Or fund them!!!