Arabs Riot, Burn Vehicle as Three Israelis Enter Shechem

Over 1,000 people visited Kever Yosef in Shechem Monday night, gathering to daven at the holy site. The visit was coordinated with the IDF, and dozens of soldiers were on duty to provide security. The IDF said that there were no security incidents connected with the event.

Kever Yosef is located inside Shechem, in Area A, under Palestinian Authority control, and can only be accessed in coordination with the IDF, even though the Oslo Accords allow for Jewish access to the site at all times.

However, the rest of Shechem is off limits to Israelis, but three individuals entered the city anyway. It was not clear whether they had gotten lost, or were part of the group that was davening at Kever Yosef. At one point, the three got our of their vehicle and were quickly surrounded by rioting Arabs. The Arabs took the vehicle and set it afire. IDF soldiers extricated the three safely. They were being questioned by security officials on what they were doing in Shechem.

Overnight Monday, security officials said they arrested six wanted security suspects in other areas in Yehudah and Shomron. The suspects were wanted for participating in rioting and throwing stones and firebombs that endangered Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers. Several of the suspects were also charged with belonging to Hamas. All were being questioned on their activities by security forces.