Eight right-wing Israeli lawmakers from parties allied with Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu visited Joseph’s Tomb in the city of Shechem (Nablus) in Samaria before dawn Wednesday morning.
Likud MKs Idit Silman, Amichai Shikli, Boaz Bismuth, and Nissim Vaturi took part in the visit, along with Shas MK Yoni Meshriki; Otzma Yehudit MKs Almog Cohen and Limor Son Har-Melech; and Religious Zionist MK Ohed Tal.
The MKs were joined by dozens of other Jewish visitors, including Samaria Regional Council chief Yossi Dagan and deputy chief David Ben-Tzion.
During the visit to the tomb complex, Arab terrorists opened fire on Israeli soldiers securing the area. No injuries were reported among either the visitors or the security personnel.
IDF soldiers returned fire, killing one of the terrorists.
“A number of amazing Knesset Members who will be sworn in to the Knesset just days from now came here,” said Dagan. “On the one hand, it is sad to come here, since we have to come in the middle of the night to this holy place, after having had stones and firebombs thrown at us – it is so humiliating – because the army isn’t fully stationed here, even though under the accursed Oslo Accords it is supposed to be.”
“On the other hand, it is so exciting to connect with our people’s deepest roots, to Joseph the Righteous. We came here together to strengthen our joint efforts on behalf of the Land of Israel, on the eve of the formation of a right-wing government the people elected in order to govern, not talk.”
“We expect this government to restore full control over Joseph’s Tomb, to return the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva [at the tomb complex], and we expect the government to end the persecution against construction in Judea and Samaria, to end the harassment of Judea and Samaria’s residents, to end the dereliction of duty in providing security, and to resettle Evyatar and Homesh.”