Some 400 Jews entered the Arab village of Awarta in Samaria early Friday morning to pray at the tombs of Elazar and Itamar – the sons of Aharon and nephews of Moses – as well as cave which, according to tradition, is the burial site of the members of the original Sanhedrin – the 70 elders appointed by Moses.
Awarta, located near the town of Itamar, has been a frequent terrorist hotspot. Most notably, in 2011, two residents, Hakim Awad and Amjad Awad, brutally murdered five members of the Fogel family in Itamar.
The group entered Awarta with an IDF escort. IDF forces arrested seven Awarta residents who threw stones at the convoy as it entered the village.
On Tuesday, 1,200 worshippers visited Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem. Like Friday’s event in Awarta, the visit was secured by IDF forces stationed in Samaria.