Palestinian Arab vandals on Monday night entered Joseph's Tomb in Shechem (Nablus), smashed the ner tamid (lamp that burns perpetually near the ark) in the tomb and the coffin that surrounds it, and cut the power. According to reports, the remainder of the tomb was left intact. The head of the Samaria Regional Council, Yossi Dagan, is in continuous contact since the report of the vandalism with the Commander of the Samaria Brigade, Col. Shimon Siso. Dagan said in shock, "Once again we discover that only the State of Israel and the IDF can protect Joseph's Tomb, one of the holy places for the people of Israel." "The abandonment of Joseph's Tomb by Ehud Barak 23 years ago was one of the cowardly and irresponsible acts committed by the State of Israel. Time to correct it. The terrorist Palestinian Authority will not be the one to guard the holy places of Israel," he added.
