The Binyamin Rabbis' Council published a statement expressing shock over the defilement of Joseph's Tomb in Shechem with swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti. The statement pointed out the difference between the government's shocked reaction to the arson at a mosque in the Galilee, and the non-reaction to the Shechem desecration of one of the most holy Jewish sites.
"What makes matters even worse is the fact that these are not the deeds of a few individuals, but actions that have the backing of the Arab masses and the Palestinian leadership," the rabbis said.
"Security forces and the Shin Bet must find the vandals and punish them to the full extent of the law," they added.
"We call upon the Chief Rabbis of Israel, the president, the prime minister and the government ministers to carry out a public visit at the Tomb of Joseph in Shechem today – in order to express their protest, and the sovereignty of Israel over the place where our forefathers are buried."
The president and the Chief Rabbis were quick to visit the mosque in Tuba that was set on fire and expressed shock over the incident, as did the prime minister and many other politicians.
The rabbis opined that the desecration provides the government with an opportunity "to make amends for the crime of abandoning the tomb, in contravention of all agreements, to station IDF soldiers there permanently and to bring back the Od Yosef Chai yeshiva."