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PALESTINE

Fri 21 Jul 2023 7:34 pm - Jerusalem Time

"Joseph's Maqam" in Nablus.. the meat grinder that never stops

Unusually, the manifestations and feelings of joy were absent from the high school results in the city of Nablus this time, as there were no firecrackers, except for what was rare, and no car horns rattling the streets, and there was no line-up in front of the famous kunafa shops; As if the citizens were saying, "How can we rejoice when there is a martyr in our presence?"


In conjunction with the announcement of the high school results, on Thursday morning, loudspeakers in the city's mosques were mourning the martyr Badr Sami Al-Masry (19 years old), who was shot dead by the occupation's bullets hours before the results were announced during the confrontations that were taking place in the vicinity of the "Maqam Yusuf" that the occupation forces stormed to provide protection for hundreds of extremist settlers who arrived there under the pretext of praying in it, which is available to them, according to the "Oslo" agreements; which only the Palestinian side committed to.


In the vicinity of Joseph's tomb, the sounds of bombs, bombs, and bullets were loud, and in the corridors of the hospital, the groans and groans of the martyr's family were loud, as his grieving parents had just arrived, calling to heaven, and touching with trembling hands the body of their beloved, who was in a hurry to leave.


Citizens living in the vicinity of "Joseph's shrine" say that as soon as loudspeakers and social media began announcing the death of one of the city's youths during the confrontations, the settlers raised the level of provocation, and their laughter began to grow louder, and their celebrations became louder. From their point of view, "a good Arab is a dead Arab."


Dozens of martyrs from the city, its camps, and its villages rose during the past years in the battles to defend "Joseph's shrine." Hundreds were also wounded, and there were also Israelis killed, in this struggle that hardly ends around these few meters, which has become a symbol of the struggle between right and wrong.


The Palestinians assert that the "Maqam of Joseph" is an Islamic building registered with the Awqaf, and it includes the tomb of one of the righteous saints, Sheikh Joseph Dweikat, while the Israelis claim that the building houses the remains of the Prophet Joseph, peace be upon him, which, according to their claims, the Israelites brought with them when they left Egypt.


The occupation had extended its control over the "Joseph's Tomb" or "Joseph's Tomb" upon the occupation of Nablus in June 1967, and the site turned into a shrine for settlers in which they constantly perform their Talmudic rituals.


The most violent rounds of conflict over the "tomb of Joseph" took place in 1996 during what was known as the "tunnel gift", when an armed clash took place between the Palestinian security forces and the occupation soldiers, during which 7 occupation soldiers were killed who were part of a force guarding the "tomb of Joseph".


At the outbreak of the second Intifada in 2000, a battle took place in the vicinity of "Joseph's Tomb", at which time one of the occupation soldiers was killed and others were wounded, and six Palestinians were killed in bloody confrontations and armed clashes.


In 2011, a group of settlers crept into the grave at night without the escort of the occupation forces, and when they left, the Palestinian security patrol fired at their vehicle after they refused to obey orders to stop, which led to the death of one of the settlers.


To this day, "Joseph's Tomb" is still a scene of events, and many liken it to a "meat grinder" that does not stop working.


Palestinian officials, researchers, and experts acknowledge that the Palestinian Authority’s recognition, in accordance with the terms of the Oslo Accords, of Joseph’s tomb as a holy place for Jews in the heart of Nablus was a major failure and a loophole that religious and extremist settlers exploited to establish their presence in this historic city, and perhaps expand this presence in the future.

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"Joseph's Maqam" in Nablus.. the meat grinder that never stops

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