Photo by
Return to Yosef - Jews United on 2 July, 2025
Plans Put in Place to Restore Sovereignty to Significant Jewish Heritage Site Joseph’s Tomb
Jerusalem, 3 July, 2025 (TPS-IL) -- Significant plans have been put into place to restore Israeli sovereignty over the tomb of Joseph, one of the most important religious sites in Judaism.
The tomb is believed to be the burial place of the biblical figure of Joseph, who’s embalmed bones the Jewish people took out of slavery with them in Egypt and buried in Israel.
The site is located in Shechem, an area of Judea and Samaria under control of the Palestinian Authority (PA) since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1995.
Since the Accords, arabs attacked and murdered Jewish pilgrims visiting the site so regularly that in 2000, after a soldier was killed in a particularly brutal attack, the IDF withdrew permanent presence and visits became tightly controlled, occurring only monthly at most, and at night.
Return to Yosef – Jews United is a knesset lobby comprised of politicians, activists, rabbis, and senior security officials. They yesterday held a conference that outlined practical plans to overcome the current access issues.
As well as increasing Israeli presence in the area, other legal, security, and operational plans were drawn up in an 11-page booklet, in three parts.
The first is a return to permanent IDF presence to the entrance of the site; the second is the building of Jewish settlements in the four mountains surrounding the area; and the last proposes visits increased to weekly, and made in the daytime instead of night.
Project Director Fayga Marks told TPS-IL: “In general, in Israel, when such projects are tried to be achieved, as well as what happened in the committee that was in June on the subject of the return to Yosef, is that you ask the IDF, or you ask the security establishment for their professional opinion of how it can be done, how realistic it is, etc.
“So this booklet…is that professional opinion. And then from here, basically because we now have this booklet, all the activists, all the people involved in fighting for Kever Yosef can now put more pressure on the IDF…now it’s realistic, now [we] just need to start acting on it.”
Lobby Chairman Nachi Weiss stated: “Lacking a foothold at Joseph’s Tomb does not ease the security situation, it does the opposite. Terror intensifies in Shechem in the absence of a Jewish presence, and the nations of the world see us abandoning one of the most historically rooted Jewish heritage sites.
“This results in their disdain and leaves us like a branch that cannot grow without roots. After many years of effort, we are now seeing real results, and it appears we are closer than ever to returning to Shechem.
“It is important to note that those promoting this initiative are not only religious Jews, but also Jews from across the spectrum, who view Joseph as a universal Jewish role model of connection and a light unto the nations.”
Among the key supporters are Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman MK Yuli Edelstein, and Minister Idit Silman.
They emphasized that Israel cannot afford to leave Joseph’s Tomb as “the backyard of the country,” and that returning to the site represents the fulfillment of a dream, strong leadership, and loyalty to Jewish identity.
Other supporters include former IDF Central Command Chief Uzi Dayan and Brigadier General Amir Avivi, Chairman of the Israel Defense and Security Forum. Both confirmed the plan’s feasibility from a security standpoint and emphasized its strategic importance for Israel’s national interest.
More meetings are expected in the coming weeks to begin implementing the plans.
