Israelis Escape Gunfire to Restore Destroyed Holy Site, Here’s Their Story

Arab terrorists shot at the forces securing the visit. There were no Israeli casualties.

By Aryeh Savir, TPS

The Samaria Council’s construction team entered Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem (Nablus) Wednesday morning together with IDF forces to renovate the holy site after it was vandalized and desecrated by a Muslim mob on Saturday.

In an operation crowned as “unprecedented” and in daylight, the construction team entered the Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem, a city under the Palestinian Authority’s control, and renovated the complex.

The Samaria Council underscored that the renovation was done in broad daylight for the first time since it was abandoned on the orders of then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

Arab terrorists shot at the forces securing the visit. There were no Israeli casualties.

The extensive renovation was carried out after dozens of Arab rioters from Shechem severely damaged the compound and burned it.

During the renovation operation, the team fixed the parts of the stone monument on Joseph’s Tomb that were smashed and destroyed by the Arab rioters. The team also repainted the shrine’s walls that were blackened after the fire, removed rubble, repaired the windows, replaced the damaged plumbing system, and reinstalled the electrical system in place.

Restoring Israeli Honor

Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council who was on site, declared that “this is a historic day. We arrived here at dawn, and in broad daylight, just before the Holiday of Freedom [Passover], to restore the national honor of the people of Israel and the honor of Joseph that was desecrated.”

“The barbarian rioters from a Palestinian Authority knew very well why they were burning and destroying the Joseph’s Tomb. They know that as long as the people of Israel continue to visit its holy places and national heritage sites, they cannot defeat us,” he stated.

“This operation is all about restoring the honor of the people of Israel and the State of Israel, we are here to correct and to ensure that we never leave or despair,” he added.

He demanded that the government return the IDF fully to Joseph’s Tomb, and return the “Od Yosef Chai” yeshiva to operate fully at the complex.

“Only the people of Israel know how to ensure the preservation of its holy places,” he stressed.

At the beginning of the operation, Col. Roi Zweig, commander of the Samaria Brigade, told the troops that “today we embark on the operation to repair the destruction of the compound of Joseph’s Tomb. In this place, the land was promised to our patriarch Abraham, and we are operating today as our ancestors who left Egypt not as thieves in the night, but as sons of kings. We are privileged to restore the honor of the land and the people of Israel. ”

When Jewish worshippers enter the site, they are routinely attacked by Arab rioters. The entry into Shechem occurs several times a year, usually around Jewish holidays. The prayers take place only during the night and under heavy security provided by the Israeli forces.

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