Rabbi Dov Lior, a senior Religious Zionist rabbi, issued a letter demanding the government return Yeshivat Od Yosef Chai to Joseph's Tomb in Shechem, reversing the 2000 withdrawal. MK Zvi Sukkot, Shomron Council head Yossi Dagan, and the yeshiva's dean Rabbi Yossi Elitzur joined the call in an urgent letter to the prime minister, urging action before the upcoming elections. The petitioners noted that a Defense Ministry representative had indicated an intention to allow daily access to the compound, but the measure has not yet been implemented.
Rabbi Dov Lior, a senior figure in the Religious Zionist movement, published a letter on Sunday calling on the government to return Yeshivat Od Yosef Chai to Joseph's Tomb in Shechem (Nablus), 25 years after the site was evacuated at the outbreak of the Second Intifada. The letter describes the withdrawal as a disgrace and asserts Israel's historical claim to the compound.
As The Zioneer reported earlier Sunday, Rabbi Lior initially issued a earlier version of the call. The current letter is signed jointly with MK Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionism), Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, and Rabbi Yossi Elitzur, dean of the yeshiva. They sent an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requesting approval before the next elections. The petition notes that a Defense Ministry representative already expressed to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee an intention to permit daily access to the site, but the policy change has not been put into effect. The yeshiva is reportedly logistically and security-ready for an immediate return.
The call represents a renewed push by Religious Zionist leaders to restore a permanent Jewish presence at a site considered holy in Jewish tradition, located in Area A of the West Bank under full Palestinian Authority security control. Any such move would require coordination with the IDF and Palestinian security forces, and would likely draw international attention.
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