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Yet Again, the Vandalizing and Desecration of Joseph's Tomb

(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Amb. Alan Baker - On the night of April 9, dozens of Palestinian rioters in Nablus (Shechem) raided and vandalized the Jewish holy site known as Joseph's Tomb. The rioters set fire to the site, smashed the cenotaph above the grave, smashed electrical lighting, burned prayer books, and ruined and burned equipment within the tomb area. Similar attacks have taken place in the past. Under the Oslo agreements, Nablus is under the full control and jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority. In the Old Testament, the Book of Joshua, 24:32, says: "And Joseph's bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph's descendants." The 1995 Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement specifically lists the Tomb as a Jewish holy site and states: "The protection of [Jewish holy sites], as well as of persons visiting them, will be under the responsibility of the Palestinian Police." Given the acute sensitivity attributed by both Palestinians and Israelis to all religious sites, it is incumbent upon the Palestinian leadership to fulfill their responsibilities as agreed in the Oslo Accords. The writer, who heads the international law program at the Jerusalem Center, served as legal adviser and deputy director-general of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and participated in the drafting of the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians.
2022-04-14 00:00:00
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