Thousands Visit Joseph’s Tomb as Leaders Call for Permanent Israeli Return

Thousands of Jewish worshippers entered Joseph’s Tomb (Kever Yosef) in Shechem overnight Monday under IDF protection, as regional leaders and rabbis called on the government to restore a permanent Israeli presence at the holy site.

The visit brought together Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, Religious Zionism MK Tzvi Sukkot and senior rabbis from the region. Their demands went beyond expanding the current system of coordinated prayer visits, with participants calling for the return of IDF forces and the Orot Yosef Chai yeshiva to the compound.

Jewish access to Joseph’s Tomb is generally limited to organized visits secured by large military deployments. Israel withdrew from the compound in October 2000, shortly after the outbreak of the Second Intifada.

“The response to terrorism is building the Land of Israel,” Dagan said. “This is the time to return to Joseph’s Tomb, restore the yeshiva, bring the IDF back and once again raise the Israeli flag over this holy site.”

Dagan said the campaign to return to the site was part of a broader effort to reverse the consequences of the Oslo process.

“We came to break this paradigm of withdrawal created by Oslo, because Joseph’s Tomb must be the beginning of the correction,” he said.

Rabbi Elikim Levanon, the rabbi of Samaria, described unrestricted Jewish access to the site as a religious goal tied to the wider redemption of the Jewish people.

“Joseph the Righteous has waited thousands of years for his redemption,” Levanon said. “We look forward to the day when entry will be possible at all hours. Joseph’s redemption is the redemption of the people of Israel.”

Sukkot condemned the decision to leave the compound under Palestinian Authority control and called for Israel to reverse the current arrangement.

“Joseph’s Tomb symbolizes more than anything the weakness that led to the abandonment of one of the Jewish people’s holiest sites to Palestinian Authority terrorists,” he said. “It is time to return fully and correct this injustice.”

Rabbi Yossi Elitzur, head of the Orot Yosef Chai yeshiva, also urged the government to establish a lasting presence at the site. The yeshiva operated at Joseph’s Tomb before Israel’s withdrawal.

“We call on the Israeli government to choose and decide—to establish a permanent presence here at Joseph’s Tomb,” Elitzur said.

The entry was facilitated by volunteers from the Joseph’s Tomb and holy-sites administration of the Samaria Regional Council and protected by the IDF. Senior security officials present included Judea and Samaria Division commander Brig. Gen. Kobi Heller, Judea and Samaria Border Police commander Niso Guetta and the commander of the Samaria Brigade.

The visit formed part of a continuing campaign by Dagan, Sukkot and other activists to expand Jewish access to the compound. Earlier visits have included civilian entries during daytime hours, which organizers presented as steps toward restoring a continuous Israeli presence.