Israeli settlers break into Youssef’s Tomb in Nablus

Hundreds of Israeli settlers stormed at dawn Thursday Youssef’s Tomb, east of Nablus, to perform Talmudic rituals escorted by Israeli occupation forces.

More than seven buses carrying hundreds of settlers stormed Youssef’s Tomb at late hours Wednesday under IOF heavy protection.

Violent clashes erupted in the vicinity of the tomb between Palestinian youths who stoned the invading forces stationed at Askar and Balata refugee camps. The soldiers fired stun grenades and tear gas bombs at the youths causing breathing problems to dozens.

Youssef’s Tomb was an Islamic mosque built over a tomb of an Islamic Sheikh named Youssef Dweikat from Balata town. It was seized by Israeli settlers just after the occupation of the West Bank in 1967 under the pretext that it contains Tomb of Prophet Youssef.

Meanwhile, a new report issued Wednesday by Arab Organization for Human Rights (AOHR) warned of the Israeli settlers' escalated attacks against Palestinian people and properties.

AOHR documented a noticeable escalation in Israeli settlers' attacks since the beginning of the year, saying that 30 settler attacks were reported during January against Palestinian people, houses, vehicles, and agricultural crops in different parts of occupied West Bank.

The settlers' attacks included the burning of a mosque in Salfit and writing racist slogans on its walls, in addition to breaking into Youssef's Tomb in Nablus to perform Talmudic rituals, according to the report.

The organization stated that the Israeli occupation authority escalated its settlement construction projects in West Bank and Jerusalem, referring to the Israeli decision to establish 2,791 new housing units since the beginning of 2014.