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Palestinians set fire to the Jewish holy site of Joseph's Tomb in the West Bank late on Thursday, in an act that Israeli authorities have described as "despicable" and compared to the actions of radical Islamist group ISIS.
Tens of Palestinians entered the Joseph's Tomb compound in the West Bank city of Nablus before setting it on fire, according to the Israeli military.
Palestinian security forces, who are cooperating with Israeli forces in the West Bank under the leadership of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, dispersed the crowd and extinguished the fire.
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Jews worship the site as the resting place of the biblical figure of Joseph and his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh. The attack occurred in the midst of the bloodiest wave of violence between Palestinians and Israelis in the West Bank and Jerusalem in the last year.
Seven Israelis have been killed and dozens wounded in a series of Palestinian stabbings and shootings. At least 30 Palestinians, a number of whom were attackers, have been killed in clashes with Israeli forces in the last two weeks. The current wave of violence at times echoes the last Palestinian uprising, known as the Second Intifada, that occurred between 2000 and 2005.
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Peter Lerner said on his Facebook page, "The burning and desecration of Joseph's Tomb last night is a blatant violation and contradiction of the basic value of freedom of worship."
The Israeli military released images of the blaze and pledged to hunt down the suspected arsonists. "It is reminiscent of what the barbarians of ISIS are doing elsewhere in the Middle East," Lerner added. "The IDF will bring the perpetrators of this despicable act to justice, restore the site to its previous condition and ensure that the freedom of worship returns to Joseph's Tomb."
The attack occurred the night before a scheduled Palestinian "Day of Rage" that was called by the Palestinian factions of Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Hamas urged Palestinians to protest at Israeli checkpoints following noon prayers on Friday, The Times of Israel reported.
Additional Israeli forces have been deployed in Jerusalem and the West Bank in preparation for the event, and Israeli authorities have restricted access to the flashpoint site in Jerusalem known as Al-Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, to Muslims and the Temple Mount to Jews.
As part of a large-scale Israeli security operation in the holy city, Israeli forces have already deployed roadblocks in Palestinian areas of east Jerusalem.
Abbas has blamed Israeli "aggression" for the latest wave of violence while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has held the Palestinian leadership responsible for "incitement," and called on his Palestinian counterpart to bring an end to the violence. The U.N. Security Council is to hold an emergency meeting on the deteriorating security situation on Friday.
A spokesman for the Palestine Liberation Organization was not immediately available for comment.
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