[Elder of Ziyon] Arabs desecrate Joseph's Tomb again

Ma'ariv reports that Joseph's Tomb was desecrated with urine and apparent attempts to set it on fire:

More than 2,500 visitors came Wednesday night to Joseph's Tomb. A special tour was organized by the Samaria Regional Council and "Shechem Echad" and it was held with the approval and support of the IDF and the Israel Police.

Upon arrival of the first soldiers and worshipers there they observed that Palestinians had desecrated the tomb building and tried to set it on fire. According to the deputy head of the regional council Yossi Dagan, the entrance to the tomb was awash with urine, and wall and window of the building were filled with soot from Palestinian ignition attempts.

Shomron Regional Council officials immediately cleaned the grave and washed the entrance and within minutes visitors who came to pray there could enter.

Shomron Regional Council head Gershon Mesika said tonight "Only barbarians do these horrid things to desecreate this holy place."

According to Arutz-7, it was even worse:

Visitors to the Tomb of Yosef in Shechem were shocked to discover Wednesday night yet another instance of major Arab vandalism to the holy site. Arabs trashed furniture, destroyed books, and defaced the site with anti-Semitic graffiti, and there was evidence that they had tried to burn the structure down. In addition, human and animal waste was found all over the floor of the site.

Ma'an adds:

Kever Yosef in 2009

Witnesses told Ma'an that clashes erupted as local youths threw stones at Israeli soldiers, who fired tear gas and stun grenades.

The tomb has been desecrated numerous times, and several Jewish visitors to the site have been murdered over the years.

Under the Oslo Accords Interim Agreement, Jews should have free access to their holy places. Visiting once a month with armored buses in the middle of the night under heavy guard while the tomb is left open to desecration the rest of the time is not exactly "free access."

(h/t Kramerica, Ian)

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Posted By Elder of Ziyon to Elder of Ziyon at 1/24/2013 08:00:00 AM