After a month or rising tensions and violence, Palestinian rioters set fire to Joseph’s Tomb, a Jewish holy site in the West Bank city of Nablus that is believed to contain the remains of the Biblical patriarch.
The arson came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for Palestinian leaders to stop the attacks that have been plaguing the nation for weeks. Rioters attacked Joseph’s tomb with petrol bombs.
“The burning and desecration of Joseph’s Tomb last night is a blatant violation and contradiction of the basic value of freedom of worship. The IDF will take all measures to bring the perpetrators of this despicable act to justice, restore the site to its previous condition and ensure that the freedom of worship returns to Joseph’s Tomb,” IDF Spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said in a statement Friday morning.
Palestinian Authority security forces arrived on the scene, dispersing the crowd and dousing the fire. Once the confrontation was over, Israel Defense Forces were deployed to the area according to Channel 2 television. There were no reports of any injuries.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli leaders quickly condemned the attacks. Israeli leaders compared it to the actions of ISIS who have destroyed various holy sites throughout the Middle East. Abbas stated that the holy site would be repaired and called for an investigation.
In a separate incident on Friday, a Palestinian man disguised himself as a journalist and attacked an Israeli soldier. The soldier suffered minor wounds; the attacker was shot on site.