WATCH: Hundreds Worship At Joseph’s Tomb, Palestinians Clash With IDF Forces Securing Worshipers

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Hundreds of people including government ministers, coalition MKS and other dignitaries visited the tomb of Yosef Hatzadik early Wednesday morning. The worshipers were secured by large IDF forces, which were attacked by Palestinians near the tomb and returned fire. There were no injuries reported to IDF soldiers.

Minister of Culture and Sport Miki Zohar (Likud) and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu (Otzma Yehudit) were among those who visited the tomb of Yosef.  MK Tzvi Sukkot and Hadassah International chairman and Medal of Valor recipient Lt. Col. (Res.) Moshe Levi were also among the worshipers.

https://twitter.com/RealNewsIL/status/1636246992505516033

Minister Zohar called for unity. “I decided to visit the tomb of Yosef Hatzadik as we can all see what’s happening in the nation of Israel. The nation is split, and Yosef was the one who unified the tribes of Israel. He chose to forgive everything his brothers did to him and saw peace in the nation of Israel as the most important thing.

“Ultimately, unity among the people of Israel is our strength as a nation, enabling us to defeat the many enemies that the nation of Israel unfortunately has,” he added. “At this opportunity, I call on all of Israel to unite with mutual responsibility, as we have no other land.”

Zohar also called for the holy site to be fully reopened to the public. “It’s tragic that in order to come here, we need such a large military contingent to protect us even though the site belongs to the Jewish People. This is absurd, and we need to correct this.”

A 19th-century picture of Yosef’s tomb, with no Arab houses seen anywhere nearby

Minister Amichai Eliyahu led the prayer for IDF soldiers at the site and stated: “It is a great privilege to pray at the tomb of Yosef Hatzadik, who was the first Jewish minister in history. Joseph’s Tomb is one of the most important Jewish heritage sites, and coming here connects us with our nation’s deep roots. We pray that the day will come when the Israeli flag will again fly here with total security for worshipers.”

Samaria Regional Council chairman Yossi Dagan thanked the volunteers from the Samaria Regional Council’s Joseph’s Tomb Authority, the IDF soldiers, and the district commander Col. Shimon Sisu for their assistance in visiting Joseph’s tomb.

Dagan stated: “We stand here at Yosef’s Tomb and derive strength from the Jewish nation’s roots. Despite everything, Yosef chose unity with his brothers, and we need to learn from him. There are ideological arguments, but no man may lift a hand against his brother. There is a minority in the country trying to divide the nation because of an ideological argument, but we can learn from Yosef who, despite all of the hardships, connected with his brothers.”

Dagan also demanded a full return to Yosef’s Tomb: “When we come to Yosef’s Tomb at night, on the one hand, the heart swells as we have the privilege to be here, but on the other hand, the heart shrivels up from the great pain that we need to come here like thieves in the night to one of the holiest places for the Jewish People. The Jewish People expects the government to enable the defense establishment to restore our hold on Yosef’s Tomb. Only the nation of Israel can protect this holy site.”