Four Israeli Soldiers Wounded in Terror Attack near Joseph’s Tomb

RZA Leader Files Complaint with US Commission on Int’l Religious Freedom

Edited by: Fern Sidman

An Israeli officer and three soldiers were wounded on Wednesday night during an operation to secure entry for civilians to the Joseph’s Tomb compound in Shechem, as was reported by JNS on Thursday.

An improvised explosive device was set off as the soldiers passed by.

The JNS report indicated that the wounded soldiers were evacuated to Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikvah. The officer and two of the soldiers were “lightly” wounded, and another soldier was in moderate condition, the IDF said.

The explosive detonation took place at the point where the security forces were operating to secure the route to the tomb and not on the route civilians take to enter into the compound.

The IDF said the entrance of worshipers to Joseph’s tomb continues as planned, in spite of the attack, as was reported by JNS.

Nablus Battalion, part of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, reportedly claimed responsibility, saying that its members detonated a roadside bomb close to Israeli forces as they entered the city, according to the JNS report. A spokesman for the terrorists said, “Our land is forbidden to you, and Joseph’s Tomb is your tomb,” according to the Jerusalem Post. Thirty-nine people were injured in related clashes, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

“We are praying from the depths of our hearts for the safety of the soldiers who secured this entrance,” said Knesset member Zvi Sukkot, in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter).

“Terror will not win, in the merit of Joseph the righteous,” he added. Images shared on social media appeared to show a large explosion from the bomb.

An American Zionist leader is calling on the Biden administration to take action in response to Palestinian Arab violence against Jewish worshippers at the Tomb of Joseph, in Shechem (Nablus).

Stephen M. Flatow, president of the Religious Zionists of America (RZA), has filed an official complaint with the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, asking it to intervene “in support of religious freedom at the Tomb of Joseph,” according to a statement released to the media,

In a letter to the commissioners, the RZA president noted that this week’s attack was “just the latest in a series of terrorist assaults on Jewish worshippers at the Tomb of Joseph and the security personnel guarding them.”

“The Oslo accords, in which the United States is deeply invested, guarantee free Jewish access to the Tomb of Joseph,” the RZA president pointed out. “And the Palestinian Authority’s security force, which the U.S. has armed and trained, is required to ensure that access. Yet the PA continues to stand idly by as terrorists interfere with Jewish religious freedom.”

Flatow asked the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to urge the Biden administration to use its $600-million in annual aid to the Palestinian Arabs as leverage to compel the PA to fulfill its Oslo obligations regarding religious freedom at the Tomb of Joseph.

“If Jewish worshippers at a religious site anywhere else in the world were subjected to this kind of violence, there would be international outrage,” the RZA president said. “Why is the world silent when Jewish worshippers are attacked at the Tomb of Joseph?”