Clashes broke out between Palestinian youths and Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of Joseph's Tomb on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Nablus on Monday, officials said. Ghassan Duglas, a Palestinian official in charge of settlement's affairs in the West Bank, said Israeli soldiers surrounded the tomb to inspect the area together with a number of Israeli military officials. He explained that the clashes broke out between dozens of youths and the troops during the inspection visit, in which the youths threw stones at the soldiers who responded by firing rubber and live bullets and tear gas canisters. According to Duglas, a Palestinian youth was shot in the foot and a number of others by rubber bullets during the clashes, which ended up with the soldiers withdrawing from the area. He added that right after the Israeli soldiers pulled out, the Palestinian youths threw Molotov cocktails at the room attached to the tomb of Joseph, setting it on fire and completely burning it. On Friday, around two hundreds Palestinians stormed Joseph's tomb and vandalize the place before setting it on fire, which led to the burning of large parts of it. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas later issued a decree for an immediate investigation over the incident and beginning to repair the damage. The tomb of Joseph in Nablus attracts thousands of Jewish prayers who claim that the place is the tomb of the Prophet Joseph, son of the Prophet Jacob. The settlers usually come under the cover of darkness and guarded by the Israeli army, in coordination with the Palestinian National Authority which is charge of its security control according to agreements. The Palestinians, however, say this place belongs to the saints of the most famous family in the city of Nablus, and that the place can never be the grave of Joseph. The recent wave of tensions has led to the deaths of 44 Palestinians and eight Israelis, with hundreds wounded.
