Joseph’s Tomb is a shrine near the city of Nablus in the West Bank. It is traditionally considered to be the burial place of the Biblical patriarch Joseph, and is located in the Samarian city of Shechem. Some archaeologists believe that the site is a few centuries old and could contain the remains of a Muslim sheikh named Yossef Al-Dwaik [1]. According to Jewish texts, Joseph's body was taken from Egypt during the Exodus and later reinterred in Shechem (Joshua 24:32). Nāblus (sometimes Nābulus; Arabic: (help· info); IPA , Hebrew: (help· info); IPA ); ) is a major city under Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and, with a population of over 100,000, is one of the largest Palestinian population centers in the Middle East. ... The Bible (Hebrew: תנ״ך tanakh, Greek: η Βίβλος hÄ“ biblos) (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Word of God, The Word Scripture, Scripture), from Greek (τα) βίβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the name used by Jews and Christians for their (differing but overlapping) canons of sacred texts. ... Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Samaria, or Shomron (Hebrew שֹׁמְרוֹן, Standard Hebrew Å omÉ™ron, Tiberian Hebrew ŠōmÉ™rôn, Arabic سامريّون SāmariyyÅ«n (but commonly called in Arabic جبال نابلس Jibal Nablus), (in the New Testament Greek Σαμαρεία, in Russian Самария ) is a term used for the mountainous northern part of the area on the west bank of the Jordan... Shechem, Sichem or Shkhem (שְׁכֶם / שְׁכָם Shoulder, Standard Hebrew Šəḫem / Šəḫam, Tiberian Hebrew Šəḵem / Šəḵām (situated at Tell Balatah 32° 12′ 11″ N, 35° 18′ 40″ E, 2 km east of present-day Nablus) was the first capital of the Kingdom of Israel. ... for Imam Muslim, see Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم) is an adherent of Islam. ... Shaikh (Arabic: ),(also rendered as Sheik, Shaykh or Sheikh) is a word in the Arabic language meaning elder of tribe, lord, a revered old man, or Islamic scholar. ... Jews (Hebrew: יהודים, Yehudim) are followers of Judaism or, more generally, members of the Jewish people (also known as the Jewish nation, or the Children of Israel), an ethno-religious group descended from the ancient Israelites and converts who joined their religion. ... Exodus is the second book of the Torah (the Pentateuch) and also the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible), and the Christian Old Testament. ...

Destruction of the tomb

Following the 1967 War, Israel regained access to the site and a small Jewish seminary was built there in the 1980s. The site was also used as a military outpost, and a number of soldiers were stationed there to protect the seminary students and the site itself. Shechem was handed over to the Palestinian Authority in 1995, but the Israelis retained control over the site since the Oslo accords granted it free Israeli access. Combatants Israel Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq Commanders Yitzhak Rabin, Moshe Dayan, Uzi Narkiss, Israel Tal, Ariel Sharon Abdel Hakim Amer, Abdul Munim Riad, Sharif Zaid Ibn Shaker, Hafez al-Assad Strength 50,000 troops (264,000 including mobilized reservists); 197 combat aircraft Egypt 150,000 troops; Syria 75,000; Jordan... Yeshiva or yeshivah (Hebrew: ישיבה pl. ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... The West Bank The Palestinian National Authority (PNA or PA) is a semi-autonomous state institution nominally governing the bulk of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (which it calls the Palestinian Territories). It was established as a part of Oslo accords between the PLO and Israel. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

When violent clashes between Israelis and Palestinians began in the West Bank in October 2000, six Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed in fighting around the tomb. The Israeli army subsequently agreed to withdraw on October 7 and turn over control of the site to the Palestinian police, who were supposed to guard it. Instead, they stood by as a mob ransacked the site, burned holy books and destroyed reading stands; the mob also burned down the army outpost. On that same day, a United States-born rabbi and settler from Elon Moreh named Hillel Lieberman who taught at the seminary, was found murdered outside Nablus. The term Palestinian has other usages, for which see definitions of Palestinian. ... Look up October in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years). ...

The Mayor of Nablus, Ghassan Shakaa, said that the site would be repaired. Workers were seen fixing the damage, however, they were also painting the top of the dome green - the color of Islam. Workers say that they want to return the shrine to its former appearance before 1967, but news reports indicated the Palestinians were planning to build a mosque on the spot. Islam (Arabic: ; ( (help· info)), submission (to the will of God) is a monotheistic faith and the worlds second-largest religion. ... Yeni Camii (the New Mosque), one of the landmarks of İstanbul A mosque is a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith. ...

For Israelis, the destruction of a Jewish shrine raised serious doubts as to whether the Palestinian Authority would protect religious sites belonging to Jews and Christians and guarantee access to them. Israel guarantees access to all holy places under their control, according to a 1967 law.

Only in the last couple of years, due to very high demand, has the Israeli Army infrequently allowed pilgrims to visit the site under armoured army escort. Otherwise, many Breslov hasidim detour around army roadblocks to enter the site in the middle of the night. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (Hebrew: צבא ההגנה לישראל Tsva Ha-Haganah Le-Yisrael ([Army] Force [for] the Defense of Israel), often abbreviated צהל Tsahal, alternative English spelling Tzahal, is the name of Israels armed forces (army, air force and navy). ... Breslov is the name commonly given to a Hasidic movement which originated in the town of Bratslav in what is now Ukraine. ... Hasidim can refer to Saintly Pharisees Hasidic Judaism This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Destruction of the grave covering

In the weeks prior to February 23, 2003 (when the incident was first reported), Palestinians returned to the site and destroyed the carved stone covering the grave. February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The continued desecration of the site by Palestinians, and Israel's banning of Jews from the site is a source of ongoing frustration and increasing anger amongst Jews.

External links

• Picture of tomb at the beginning of the 20th century