A united front: With the expansion of Operation Iron Wall to Nablus, this week more than 15 council heads in Judea and Samaria joined the escalating struggle led by the bereaved father, Rabbi David Ben-Natan, with Samaria Council Head Yossi Dagan and former MK Zvi Sukkot, demanding the return of the Jewish presence to Joseph's Tomb in Nablus, as a step that would benefit security and is also possible under the Oslo Accords.
"We join the call of the rabbis who emphasized that the city of Shechem and the tomb of the righteous Joseph have been the inheritance of the people of Israel from time immemorial," the council leaders emphasized. "Here God promised our forefather Abraham, "To your seed I will give this land," here our forefather Jacob bought the plot of land and built an altar to the Lord, here Joshua ben Nun performed the blessing and cursing, and the children of Israel became guarantors for each other, and here Joseph the righteous was buried.".
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They added and presented the rabbis' demand that the Israeli government return the Tomb of Joseph the Tzadik to full Jewish control, return the "Oud Yosef Chai" yeshiva to its place in the Joseph's Tomb complex, and allow the general public to come and pray at Joseph's Tomb on a regular basis.
The letter was signed by the heads of the councils: Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, Yisrael Gantz, head of the Yesha Council and the Binyamin Regional Council, Eliram Azoulay, head of the Mount Hebron Regional Council, Yaron Rosenthal, head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, Yair Shtavun, mayor of Ariel, Eyal Gelman, head of the Hebron Local Council, Dovi Shefler, head of the Efrat Council, Shai Alon, head of the Beit El Council, Eli Gafni, head of the Emmanuel Council, Uzel Vatik, head of the Kedumim Council, Shai Rosenzweig, head of the Alfei Menashe Council, Guy Yifrach, mayor of Ma'ale Adumim, Yossi Asraf, head of the Givat Ze'ev Council, Yonatan Kuznitz, head of the Karnei Shomron Council, Assaf Mintzer, head of the Elkana Council, and Sharon Alfasi, head of the Bin Aryeh-Ofarim Council.
Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Council: "I thank the council leaders who clearly set out the obvious demand to return to Joseph's Tomb. This demand is a moral and just demand, and the time has come to fulfill it. The State of Israel abandoned Joseph's Tomb as a step to escape from terror, while neglecting the burial of Joseph the Fourth - and now it is up to us to correct the injustice.".
The head of the Binyamin Regional Council and the chairman of the Yesha Council, Yisrael Gantz, who signed the letter, said: "The return of the yeshiva to Joseph's Tomb is not just a religious matter, but a step of historical justice. Joseph's Tomb is a symbol of the deep connection of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel, and in particular to Nablus - a central city in our heritage. This is a moral and national command - to return to our holy places and ensure the basic right of every Jew to pray there."
The heads of the authorities have joined the "Return to Joseph's Tomb" struggle, led by the bereaved father, Rabbi David Ben-Natan, whose son Shuval was killed in the war, the head of the Samaria Council, Yossi Dagan, and former MK Zvi Sukkot. It has been accepted by consensus in the settlement in recent months, with the joining of many rabbis and public figures.
