Thousands of worshippers gathered overnight at Joseph's Tomb near Nablus for the hillula of Joseph the Righteous. Rabbi Shalom Harush called for full Israeli sovereignty in Samaria, according to the Samaria Regional Council.
Rabbi Shalom Harush called for 'full sovereignty in Samaria' during the overnight hillula at Joseph's Tomb near Nablus, addressing a crowd of thousands assembled at the site, the Samaria Regional Council reported Tuesday morning. The call for sovereignty, which echoed earlier remarks by council head Yossi Dagan, marks a political note in an annual religious gathering that drew worshipers from across the country.
The overnight visit was the culmination of a sequence The Zioneer tracked from the ground: at 00:06 Jerusalem, the IDF reported securing the area around Joseph's Tomb in eastern Nablus ahead of an expected worshipper entry. Minutes later, at 00:06, footage surfaced on Arab social channels showing a soldier playing a keyboard while on security duty; the military did not comment on the clip. Also at 00:06, worshippers began entering the tomb complex under IDF protection, and by the same timestamp, the full gathering and the sovereignty call had been reported. The parallel timestamps reflect the rapid pace of events: security clearance, entry, and a public statement all unfolded within the same minute of the published record.
The annual hillula at Joseph's Tomb — a site under Palestinian Authority security control but accessed by Israeli civilians several times a year under military escort — has historically drawn thousands. As The Zioneer previously noted in background coverage, the visit took place against the backdrop of ongoing tensions over access to the site, which lies in Area B of the West Bank near Nablus.
It remains unclear whether the sovereignty call by Rabbi Harush and Dagan reflects an organized political push or was a spontaneous expression at the event. There has been no official government response to the remarks as of Tuesday morning.
4 developments
- DevelopingMK Avi Maoz calls on government to apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria despite Trump opposition
- DevelopingRepublican lawmakers advance bill recognizing Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria
- DevelopingIDF forces operate in multiple locations across Judea and Samaria, including Ramallah
- DevelopingMK Limor Son Har Melech demands IDF change Judea and Samaria settler policy
Source and signal
- Internal intake