RAMALLAH — A group of some 1,000 rightist Jewish settlers early Thursday broke into Joseph's Tomb in the West Bank refugee camp of Balata, to the east of Nablus, Palestinian and Israeli security forces said. The Palestinian sources said that 17 Israeli military jeeps escorted seven buses carrying the Jewish settlers to perform their religious rituals at the tomb. The sources said that another 30 military jeeps arrived earlier and closed the area fearing clashes with Palestinian activists. The sources said that at least 15 Palestinians suffered from gas inhalation during clashes that erupted in the area. They received medical treatment at the site by Palestinian paramedics, the sources said. The Israeli army spokesman said in a statement that the soldiers used means of crowd control to disperse the protesters. The statement added that the visit to Joseph's Tomb was coordinated in advance with the Palestinian authorities in Nablus “to avoid any confrontations between the visitors and the Palestinians.” The Joseph Tomb was handed over to the Palestinian Authority (PA) on Oct. 9, 2000, where the Nablus Municipality renovated the site and recovered the niche (mihrab of the mosque indicating the Qibla). The tomb is a tiny half-derelict stone compound in the heart of Nablus that many Jews believe is the final burial place of the son of Jacob, the biblical patriarch. Palestinians believe that the compound is actually the tomb of a Muslim sheikh also called Yousef. Since October, 1984, the Israeli settlers started celebrating their festivities inside the tomb. Many Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the site in defense and in an attempt to force the settlers out of it. During the second Intifada, groups of Palestinian activists destroyed parts of the site assuming that the Israeli military has converted into a military base.
