Call it another Arab “price tag,” this time in Samaria: The tomb of Joshua Bin Nun was desecrated with swastikas and Arabic graffiti that were sprayed on the great military hero’s grave.
The desecration was discovered by the thousand or so Jews from all over Israel who came to pray at the gravesite, located in Kifl Haris village, near Ariel Wednesday night, on the start of the anniversary of the death of Moses (Adar 7).
Joshua was Moses’ proverbial student and his successor. He led the Israelites’ conquest of the Holy Land. The multitude of visitors prayed, recited Psalms and studied at the gravesite until dawn. The night was incident-free, other than the discovery of the nasty reminder that the conquest begun by Joshua is far from complete.
IDF soldiers from the Ephraim Brigade under the command of Major Dado Ha’Cohen secured the service. Hospitality and accommodations were provided by the Joseph’s Tomb and the holy sites in Samaria management of the regional council.
Joshua Bin Nun came from the tribe of Ephraim.
Samaria Regional Council Chairman Yossi Dagan called for the arrest of the rioters.
“Arab rioters again desecrated the tomb of Joshua Bin Nun, it is a hate crime and a serious incident,” Dagan said. “The tomb of Joshua is a holy place of great historical value, Joshua was the first Jewish Chief of Staff and conqueror of the land. It is also a holy place and a place of great importance to the Jewish people.”
“I call on the security forces to put their hands on the rioters,” Dagan urged. “Only two weeks ago, the bloody terrorist who murdered Itamar Ben Gal HY”D escaped to this village. The [graffiti] must be handled with severity. I thank the IDF and the Ephraim Brigade, headed by Colonel Idan Katz, for securing the worshipers at the site,” he added.