Joseph’s tomb set on fire amid West Bank riots

The 15-member council met in an emergency session to discuss weeks of escalating violence between Israel and the Palestinians in Jerusalem and the territories.

Earlier on Friday, troops killed a man posing as a journalist after he wounded an Israeli soldier with a knife in the West Bank city of Hebron.

The strategy of extreme right-wing settlers in East Jerusalem is quite simple: to expel the Palestinians from their land, in keeping with Israel’s policy of Judaisation of the city.

The rhetorical fire has been tragically matched on the ground, as 42 people have been killed in the region in October, the Telegraph reports.

The Foreign Press Association has complained of harassment by both Israeli and Palestinian forces, including cases in which reporters were beaten and equipment smashed.

‘The burning and desecration of Joseph’s tomb last night is a blatant violation and contradiction of the basic value of freedom of worship, ‘ spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner said.

The tomb, identified as the resting place of the Biblical Joseph, sits on the slope of Mount Gerizim in Nablus and near the Balata refugee camp.

Shaked went on to describe Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas – who recently reiterated his commitment to a peaceful resolution of the conflict while also refraining from condemning recent Palestinian attacks on Israelis – as a “terrorist”.

Hundreds more have been wounded in clashes with Israeli forces since the start of the month. Under a long-standing arrangement, non-Muslims are allowed to visit the site but not pray there, while Jordan remains the custodian.

It is not just about having a state, but also the racism with which many Israelis view the Palestinians.

Video has emerged of the Tomb of Joseph engulfed in flames after an alleged attack by Palestinians on Israeli forces in the area. The Israelis were killed in random attacks in the street or on buses.

Three more Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in clashes between stone-throwers and Israeli troops in several West Bank towns and on the Israel-Gaza border, Palestinian medics said.

Palestinian forces broke up a crowd and put out the blaze, CNN reported.

Palestinian resentments are as old as the 48-year Israeli occupation, but even with them, there have been times when Israelis and Palestinians have gotten along better.

In anticipation of the “Day of Rage”, Israeli Police announced Thursday that access to Friday prayers for Muslims on the Temple Mount would be restricted to men and women over 40.

Overnight, Palestinians torched a site revered by Jews in the West Bank in an incident that threatened to further inflame passions.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has said he plans to travel to the Middle East soon to try to calm the violence.

“This is not a result of a massive wave of settlements”, Netanyahu said, “because there’s not been a massive wave of settlements”. “Now you have this violence because there’s a frustration that is growing, and a frustration among Israelis who don’t see any movement”.