Escorted by Israeli security forces, 1,200 mispallalim visited the tziyun of Yosef HaTzaddik during the night between Monday and Tuesday. The tziyun is located in PA (Palestinian Authority) occupied Shechem and visiting requires advanced coordination and approval of security forces. Border police and IDF soldiers were on hand along with agents of the IDF Civil Administration.

In nearby Shechem, soldiers detected a pipe bomb that was placed on the road, inside the city itself. B’chasdei Hashem there were no injuries and combat engineers were summoned to deal with the IED.

While according to the Oslo Accords, Israelis are to be granted free access to Kever Yosef and other holy sites, in fact, the IDF has prohibited one from visiting alone, without advanced approval from the military and with an escort, for doing so would result in one placing his/herself in perilous danger.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)