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Tuesday, August 28, 2012

"Settlers storm Joseph's Tomb" and "Al Aqsa Mosque"

Palestine Press Agency reports that "Hundreds of settlers stormed at dawn Tuesday, the 'shrine of Joseph' east of Nablus under guard by the Israeli occupation army, as clashes broke out in the vicinity of the Balata refugee camp."

Surprisingly, Ma'an's coverage this time is reasonable, and contradicts claims of clashes:
Hundreds of settlers visited Joseph's Tomb in Nablus overnight Monday, local sources told Ma'an.

More than 20 buses carrying the settlers were seen by the tomb amid a heavy Israeli military presence, locals said.

Settlers performed prayers until the early morning hours before leaving the area. No incidents were reported.

Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, the site was to remain under Israeli control. But the Israeli army evacuated the premises in October 2000 shortly after the start of the second intifada, or uprising, and it was immediately destroyed and burnt by the Palestinians.

The restoration of the tomb was completed recently, and following improved security cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, the army allows Jewish worshipers to make monthly nocturnal pilgrimages to the site.
Meanwhile, Hamas' Palestine Times says that "usurpers" had "stormed" the Temple Mount, what they call the Al Aqsa Mosque. Significantly, it also complained about "foreign tourists" on the Mount, indicating that they are almost as upset over any non-Muslim on the Mount as they are about Jews.