Right wing activists march to Joseph's Tomb in Nablus

Group heads into Palestinian Authority-controlled territory without IDF or PA approval, coordination; activist says PA police are waiting.

By TOVAH LAZAROFF
PA police guard Joseph's Tomb in Nablus 311 (photo credit: REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman)
PA police guard Joseph's Tomb in Nablus 311
(photo credit: REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman)
A small group of right wing activists marched Wednesday night to Joseph's Tomb, without the approval of either the IDF or the Palestinian Authority, which controls the site located on the edge of the West Bank city of Nablus.
The march comes just days after Ben Yosef Livnat, 24, was killed in Nablus early Sunday morning by Palestinian policemen as he led a group of Breslev worshippers out of the city after they had prayed at the tomb.
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Activist Itamar Ben-Gvir said that he was his understanding that Palestinian police were waiting at the tomb for the group, who at press time were on their way into Nablus, located at the site of the Biblical city of Schem.
MK Michael Ben Ari (National Union) said that he had tried to sway the army to escort the worshippers in, as is done once a month late a night.
"It would have been very easy for them to arrange this, but they turned their back on us," said Michael Ben Arie, who stood at the entrance way to Nablus late Wednesday night, but did not join the march.
Activists and right wing politicians have called on the government to take control of the tomb, as it outlined under the Oslo Agreement. They have also asked the IDF to increase the number of organized trips for worshippers to the tomb.