After multiple attacks by Arab vandals on Joseph's Tomb in Samaria, the Samaria Regional Council carried out a special operation overnight to renovate the historic site and repair the damage.
The tomb has been targeted by vandals at least twice in recent days, and two Israeli Jewish men seeking to make a pilgrimage to the site were shot by terrorists Sunday night.
In a pre-dawn operation Wednesday, a building team assembled by the Samaria Regional Council entered the tomb complex, located on the southern edge of the Palestinian Authority-controlled city of Shechem (Nablus).
The team was accompanied by Samaria Regional Council chairman Yossi Dagan, and was escorted by an IDF force.
The renovation operation continued after dawn, making it the first time Israeli authorities have renovated the site during the day since the tomb was abandoned following the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000.
The renovation includes repairs to the stone grave marker, repainting the walls of the tomb complex, removal of debris left by the Arab rioters, and repairs to the complex's windows and water system.
"This is a historic day," said Dagan during the operation. "We came here during the night, but [stayed till the day], just before the holiday of freedom [Passover], to restore Israel's national honor and Joseph's dignity."
"The barbaric rioters from the Palestinian Authority knew all too well why they are burning and destroying Joseph's Tomb. They know that as long as the Jewish people from Israel and abroad...are continuing to visit their holy places and national heritage sites, they can be victorious."