Once a month, Jews are allowed to visit the holy site to pray under heavy army escort. The visits always take place at night for security reasons.
By Pesach Benson, TPS
The Israel Defense Forces are set to examine the possibility of reestablishing a permanent Jewish presence at Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus within a month, according to a commitment made by a Central Command representative to MK Zvi Sukkot and Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan.
The move marks a potentially significant shift in Israeli policy toward the sacred site, which was abandoned by the state in 2000 during the Second Intifada.
For 25 years, access has been limited to sporadic, heavily guarded pilgrimages. Supporters of a permanent presence say this reality reflects a broader erosion of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.
MK Sukkot, who chairs the Knesset’s subcommittee for Judea and Samaria Affairs, convened a security discussion on the issue two weeks ago.
The meeting included Dagan, Deputy Head of the Civil Administration Col. Lahat Shemesh, and other defense officials. At the session, a representative from Central Command said that within six weeks, the IDF would submit a practical proposal on how to return to the site.
“We were told the opinion would be presented within six weeks,” Sukkot said. “Two have passed. That means that within a month, the details and implications of returning to Joseph’s Tomb will be brought before the committee.”
A broader push to pressure defense officials is gaining momentum. On Tuesday, a Knesset conference will gather ministers, lawmakers, bereaved families, rabbis, and public figures to call for renewed Israeli presence at the tomb.
“This is a long-standing omission that has turned one of the holiest places for the Jewish people into a closed and dangerous area, due to the state’s helplessness,” Sukkot said.
“Joseph’s Tomb must return to being a place with a permanent Jewish presence, as part of our sovereign responsibility in Judea and Samaria. Leaving this place in the hands of the Palestinian Authority is a direct violation of Israel’s national security and the values on which it was founded.”
The tomb is the burial site of Joseph, the son of the Biblical Patriarch Jacob.
Shechem is located in Area A under the administrative and security jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority. However, the Oslo Accords allowed Israeli forces to remain at the holy site.
In 2000, Israel abandoned the grave after a Palestinian mob stormed the compound. A Border Policeman who was shot bled to death when security forces were unable to rescue him.
Rioters burnt down the site again in 2015. The tomb has been desecrated and refurbished several times, most recently in 2022.
Since then, Jewish access to the grave is only allowed in coordination with the military and under heavy guard. Once a month, Jews are allowed to visit the holy site to pray under heavy army escort. The visits always take place at night for security reasons.
Yossi Dagan revealed that shortly after the tomb’s abandonment, the IDF recorded a protocol stating that the withdrawal was intended to be temporary.
“There is no people in the world that would give up their right, which is also their duty, to protect the most sacred places of their faith,” he said. “We must regain control of Joseph’s Tomb. It will bring security to Nablus and to the entire State of Israel.”
Dagan also quoted Mehdi Yosef, brother of Madhat Yosef—the Druze border policeman killed while defending the site in 2000. “If you do not return to Joseph’s Tomb, what was his blood shed for?” Yosef asked. “We will not give up on getting there. This is our consolation.”
Former Samaria Brigade Commander Brig. Gen. Harel Knafo emphasized the strategic implications. “Where Judaism and the state are not respected, they are not respected. Creating a perimeter around Joseph’s Tomb is just a matter of decision.”
MK Amit Halevi added, “Certainly after October 7, the war is not only about territory but about spirit. Joseph’s Tomb symbolizes this.”
Said MK Limor Son Har Melech, “We are not in exile. We are in the Land of Israel. And in the Land of Israel, it should not look like this — not to come like thieves in the night. Not to Joseph.”
