Arabic inscriptions, including the name of the “Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades,” were sprayed on the grave of the Biblical figure Elazar the Priest in the village of Awarta in Samaria.
Unknown individuals defaced the grave by spraying Arabic graffiti. Among the inscriptions was the designation “Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades”, the name of the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which operates in the area.
This is not the first incident at the site. In 2011, worshippers discovered that the tombstone had been partially destroyed and covered with graffiti and drawings of rocket launchers.
The grave is situated at the entrance to a village, making it easily accessible for acts of vandalism.
Rabbi Yitzhak Dovid Grossman, chairman of the Holy Sites Committee of the Chief Rabbinical Council, said: “I was shocked to see the pogrom carried out at the grave of Elazar the Priest, son of Aaron the Priest, in the village of Awarta in Samaria.”
He added, “Elazar the Priest was the ‘chief of the Levites,’ the most important figure in the Jewish hierarchy of his time, the high priest who continued the priestly path of his father, Aaron the Priest. Our sages said of him, ‘He loves peace and pursues peace; he loves all creatures.’”
Rabbi Grossman further stated, “The site of Elazar the Priest’s grave has been sanctified and recognized by all nations, not just Jews, as a place of prayer and spiritual merit. This is not the first time the grave has been desecrated. I appeal to every religious authority, at every site, to protect this sacred grave and prevent its desecration in the future. Let us follow in the ways of Elazar the Priest and his father and increase peace in the world.”