Hundreds of Jewish settlers forced their way into a religious site in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Nablus in the early hours of Tuesday, triggering clashes with Palestinian youths, according to eyewitnesses. "At least 2,000 Jewish settlers stormed the site, where they performed Talmudic rituals under the protection of Israeli soldiers," Ahmed Shamekh, an official at the nearby Balata refugee camp, told Anadolu Agency. According to Shamekh, dozens of Palestinian youths gathered outside "Joseph's Tomb" - a traditional flashpoint for Israeli-Palestinian violence - to protest the settlers' arrival, leading to clashes with Israeli army troops. Shamekh said no serious injuries had been reported among Palestinian youths. Jews believe the site to be the burial place of the biblical patriarch Joseph. Muslims, however, challenge this claim, saying a Muslim Imam - Sheikh Yussef Dawiqat - was buried at the site two centuries ago.
