On April 24, 2011 (20 Nissan 5771), exactly six years ago, Ben Yosef Livnat was killed at Joseph's Tomb in Shechem (Nablus) by Palestinian Authority police.

Livnat, 25, was the nephew of former minister Limor Livnat, and left behind a wife and four children.

The family received permission to visit Joseph's Tomb on Saturday night.

Together with Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan, the family held a commemoration ceremony. There was not a dry eye when Livnat's eldest son, 10-year-old Avraham Ilai, said the traditional "Kaddish" prayer for his father together with his uncle, and finished a tractate of Talmud in honor of his father's memory.

Dagan said, "Ben Yosef left us a will, and we try to fulfill it every month. His great love of Joseph, and his feeling of obligation to protect Joseph's Tomb and keep a Jewish presence here, is an example for all of us.

"The Palestinian Authority police heinously murdered an innocent civilian who was exercising his rights to pray. Since Livnat's murder, the Samaria Regional Council has held gatherings of Jews who wish to pray at Joseph's Tomb. We will not leave this holy site unguarded.

"Today we pray that in the merit of Ben Yosef Livnat, we will soon have sovereignty over this place, and Jews will be able to pray freely here every day - not just once a month."

Former MK Arieh Eldad said, "I have been here several times. Every time, the feeling is as if this is my first time at Joseph's Tomb. Two days ago, I was here in Samaria, visiting historical places and traveling back in time.

"The bones of Joseph are here, and have been here since we first conquered this land from the Canaanites.

"We are at one of the only sites Jews are allowed to visit in Shechem. Soon we will have sovereignty over all of Israel, as it should be. We will return to all our historical sites, to Joseph's Tomb, and to the Samarian capital of the Israelite kings. Living here is how we reconnect to our history - and our historical land."

The Bible recounts how Joseph asked the Israelites to carry his remains with them for reburial in the Promised Land when they leave Egypt. The Jews were faithful to his request and reburied him in Shechem when they entered the land of Israel. Many years later, when the Jewish kingdom split into two, the capital of the breakaway north, called the Israelite Kingdom and "The House of Joseph," was first located in Shechem, then Tirzah, and then in the mountaintop city of Samaria, overlooking Shechem. The city of Samaria, built by King Omri, father of King Ahab, has been excavated by archaeologists and is one of the most universally accepted biblical sites.

בן יוסף לבנת
בן יוסף לבנתהי"ד